Guilty of Love
by CrueFan21
Summary: Nick loved having Judy as a partner, and as a friend, but could there be something more between them? Judy X Nick
1. Chapter 1

Guilty of Love

 **A/N: Hey there! This is my first Zootopia fic! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

One morning in Zootopia, Officer Nick Wilde, and Officer Judy Hopps were riding through the city on their daily patrol. The two had been on the force for a little over a year, and both of them were now fully comfortable with their jobs in the ZPD. Nick and Judy made a great team; cracking case after case, earning themselves well-earned respect throughout the ZPD, and Zootopia.

Nick had to admit, he never thought he'd have this much fun as a police officer. Every time he helped someone in need, it made him feel so pleasant inside. It embarrassed him to think that just a year ago, he was a con-artist making a living out of tricking people. Now that he was on the other side of the law, he saw just how bad that lifestyle was, and how much better his life was now. Of course, none of it would have been possible if it weren't for Judy. That persistent little bunny who at first he had to admit, he didn't care for, had such an impact on his life.

Many were surprised to see her teamed up with him, a fox of all animals, but he tried his best not to let it get to him. But Judy had affected Nick's life in more ways than changing his lifestyle. Judy had brought out the best in him, and opened his eyes to the true potential that he had. For years, Nick was constantly reminded of the fact that just because he was a fox, he simply couldn't be trusted. And for a while, he really gave people a reason to believe that. After Judy came barreling into his life, his whole world was turned upside down. Judy was pretty impressive for a bunny; there was no doubt about that. She had a sense of determination in her that everyone should have. Every morning, she woke up excited, cheerful, and ready to serve and protect the city of Zootopia.

Nick once heard someone say that if you love what you do, you'll never have to work a day in your life. Well, Judy sure fit that description. Not only did she love what she did, she did it with so much passion, and that was admirable in itself. Judy was a great friend, and a great partner as well. Everyone could benefit from having someone like that in their lives. There was so much to admire about her: her passion, her intelligence, her beauty… Yes, he had to admit, Judy was very pretty. Even when he first met her he noticed that, not that it mattered of course; looks weren't everything. Needless to say, Nick was lucky to have her by his side.

As they drove down the road, Nick looked out the window at the many pedestrians and cars on the streets. Judy noticed him staring off into the distance, and quickly said something about it.

"Good to see that you're keeping an eye out for anyone in distress," she said.

"What? Oh…yes. You know me, I'm a pretty perceptive animal," Nick said, now really looking for anyone that might need help.

Judy chuckled. Nick never ceased to amuse her. "One thing I really like about being a police officer is that you never know what to expect. Every day is different, no two are alike. One day you might be chasing down a thief, the next you might be pulling someone over for reckless driving…

"And some days you might be writing parking tickets, right, Carrots?"

Judy playfully hit him on the arm. "Haha. Very funny. But yes, that is one of the many duties of a police officer, dull as it may be."

"I think it's the mystery of not knowing what's going to happen every day of it all that makes it so unique," Nick added. "I feel sorry for all those animals with those boring dead-end jobs. Some of them look absolutely miserable."

"I agree. That's why I always believe that it's important to find a job that you enjoy doing," Judy said.

"Same here, Carrots," Nick said, smiling.

Suddenly, a goat ran out in front of their patrol car, and started waving her arms frantically. Fortunately, Judy saw her, and had just enough time to slam on brakes. The woman looked frantic; something was clearly wrong. Nick and Judy got out of the car, and ran over to the woman's side.

"Ma'am, what's wrong?" Judy asked, concerned.

"Officers! I've been robbed! I was walking back from the store with a brand new clock when this raccoon knocked me over, and took it from me!"

"What's your name, ma'am?" Nick asked.

"Amy Glockma," the woman said, crying.

"When did this happen, Amy?" Judy asked, trying to comfort the poor woman.

"Just a few minutes ago. He ran that way," Amy said, pointing in the direction the thief went.

"Don't worry, ma'am. We'll get your clock back. Nick, let's go," Judy said, determinedly.

"On it," Nick said.

The two hopped back into their patrol car, and sped down the street. As she drove, Judy kept one hand on the wheel, and the other to use her handheld radio transceiver.

"Dispatch, this is Officer Hopps. We have a suspect in progress down Baxter Street. Suspect is a raccoon carrying a stolen clock. Officers Hopps and Wilde in pursuit."

Judy sped up, keeping her eyes peeled for the thief. He couldn't have gone too far. Suddenly, she spotted him pushing past pedestrians on the sidewalk. "There!" she called. Judy slammed on breaks, and her and Nick got out of the car, and pursued the suspect on foot.

"Stop! In the name of the law!," Judy yelled.

"I really don't think that's going to work, Carrots," Nick said.

"You always have to give them a chance to surrender peacefully," Judy explained. "Hurry up! Before he gets away!"

The raccoon looked behind him, and saw Nick and Judy closing in on him. He knew that he had to do something fast before they reached him. Up ahead at a crosswalk, he saw a red light. Wasting not a second more, he sped up, and barely made it across before the light turned to green. When it did, a flood of cars pulled forward; preventing Judy and Nick from crossing.

"No! He's getting away!" Judy shouted in disbelief.

"No, he's not. Come on, I know a shortcut," Nick said. The young fox led Judy down through a back alley, which led to Huckleberry Street; a street right next to Baxter. The two quickly crossed to the other side, and rounded a building, putting back on Baxter Street. Before they knew it, they saw the raccoon running right towards them. When he saw them, he panicked, and tripped trying to turn around. Before he could get back up, Judy and Nick were by his side with their tranquilizer guns pointing at him.

"Freeze!" Judy commanded.

The thief tried to get back up, but the two ZPD cops were quick to prevent his escape. "Unless you want a dart inside of you, I strongly suggest you stand down, and put your hands behind your head," Nick said.

Knowing that the jig was up, the raccoon dropped the clock, and did as he was told. Nick kept his gun pointed at him as Judy put the handcuffs on him. "Let's go, scum ball," she said, after reading him his rights. Nick placed his gun back into his holster, and picked up the clock. He examined it closely, making sure that there wasn't any damage to it; fortunately there wasn't. They returned the clock to Amy, who was overjoyed, and then the two made their way back to headquarters.

When they arrived, Judy took the raccoon to booking, while Nick started on some paperwork that he had to finished. An hour or so later, Judy came into his office. "Nice work out there today!" she said. "I don't think we would have caught him if you hadn't have known that shortcut."

Nick shrugged. "When you live in Zootopia for so long, you learn a few things."

"I'll say. I'm so glad to have you as my partner," Judy said, giving Nick a pat on the back.

"Well, you look pretty busy, and I have some work to do myself. I'll see you later!" Judy said, just before she left.

"Take it easy, Carrots," Nick replied.

* * *

Later that evening when Nick got back to his apartment, he phoned his mother. She had left a message earlier that day, while he was out on patrol, but he didn't have time to answer it then. The moment he heard his mother's voice on the other end, he smiled.

"Why, hello, Nick! How was your day?"

"Pretty good. Judy and I arrested a raccoon who stole a clock from some lady," Nick said.

"That's great, sweetie! How is Judy by the way?"

Nick had introduced Judy to his mother and father a year ago. She had become quite fond of the young rabbit.

"She's doing good. As always she was really enthusiastic at work."

"That's good. She's such a sweet bunny. You should ask her out sometime."

Nick blushed. "Mom, she's just my partner, and my friend."

"Well so? I think she would be a lovely girl to date."

"Like I said, she's just my partner, and my friend. Besides, she'd never go for someone like me anyway."

"And why is that?"

"I'm a different species!"

"Sweetie, it doesn't matter what kind of species you are. Your personality, and what you do is what you defines you, not your species."

Nick sighed. "I guess you're right. Still, I don't think she'd go out with me."

"You'll never know unless you ask, sweetie."

"Ok. Well, mom I got to go. It's been a long day, and I'm pretty tired."

"Alright, sweetie. You take care now. I love you."

"I love you too, mom."

Nick hung up the phone, and started to take off his uniform. As he did so, he thought back to what his mother had said. Judy was a nice girl, and one heck of a partner as well. But there was no way she'd go out with a fox like him, even if he was her partner. Nick turned off the lights, and closed his eyes. He quickly found out that he couldn't fall asleep. All he could think about was Judy, and how much his life had changed since he met her. She was amazing, no doubt about it. There were so many things about her that he admired, and to think they didn't get off to a good start.

Well, that was all water under the bridge. They were partners now, and for that he was grateful. Closing his eyes, he began to dream about what it would be like to go with Judy on a date. He saw himself taking her to the movies, going out to dinner, and taking a walk through Zootopia central park. In the dream, he and Judy sat on the grass, and gazed at the stars together. Nick looked into her violet eyes, which seemed to sparkle against the starry skylight. She smiled at him, causing a warm feeling within him. Slowly, he moved his head forward, and kissed Judy on the lips. When they parted, Judy smiled warmly at him. "I love you, Nick," she said.

"I love you too, Judy."

Nick awoke from the dream; his forehead was dripping with sweat. Sitting up, he thought once again about Judy, and how he felt about her. Could he like Judy more as a friend? Unable to fall back asleep, Nick got up, turned on the lamp, and sat at his desk. There next to him was a picture of him, and Judy, taken their first day on the job together as partners. She looked so happy that day. Nick smiled, remembering how proud she was seeing him all dressed in his uniform. "Ready to make the world a better place?" she asked.

"You know it," he said, giving her a high five.

Judy was amazing, no doubt about it. Maybe he should ask her out.

* * *

 **AN: Well, this is my first Zootopia fic. I'm planning on this being a miniseries with three chapters total. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! If you liked it or want me to continue, please leave a review, and let me know! Thank you for reading!**


	2. The Date

Chapter 2:

The Date

 **A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! That means a lot! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

* * *

Early the next morning when he arrived at the ZPD, Nick went straight to Judy's office. To his surprise, she wasn't there. "That's strange," he said. "She usually arrives pretty early." Nick went over the circulation desk, where Benjamin Clawhauser was listening to his I-Pod.

"Hey, Ben! How's it going?"

Clawhauser took his headphones off to talk to Nick. "Great! I'm listening to the new Gazelle album! It just came out yesterday!"

"That's cool! How is it?"

"Wonderful! Everything she does is wonderful!" Clawhauser said, smiling brightly.

"I got to check it out some time. By the way, have you seen Judy around? She's not in her office."

"Oh! She's up in Chief Bogo's office. He had to talk to her about something important. You're welcome to go in; I'll let him now you're coming."

"Thanks, Ben," Nick said.

Nick went upstairs to Chief Bogo's office. As he entered, he saw that Judy and Bogo were in the middle of a conversation, which stopped as soon as they saw him.

"Officer Wilde, glad you could join us," Bogo said.

"Hi Nick!" Judy said, happily.

"Hi Judy," Nick said, smiling. "Good morning, Chief Bogo."

He took a seat beside Judy, and listened as the two informed him of what they were talking about before he arrived.

"As I was explaining to Officer Hopps, we've been investigating a series of break-ins throughout the Garmen district, and…

Suddenly a voice came over the intercom. "Sir we got a call about a disturbance in the lower east side. A large wolf has been seen terrorizing animals, and has caused one animal to injure himself. A cat was so scared that he ran right into a telephone pole. Suspect is wearing a black leather jacket, torn up jeans, and a nose ring."

"Thank you, Clawhauser, I'll send someone now," Chief Bogo said.

He then turned to Nick and Judy. "Well, this can wait for later. Right now I think we should deal with the problem at hand. Do you two want to take this call?"

"Of course," Nick and Judy said, simultaneously.

"Very good. Best of luck to you both," Chief Bogo said.

* * *

When Nick and Judy arrived on the Lower East Side of Zootopia, they saw the wolf that was reportedly terrorizing other animals. Judy called out to him as soon as she saw him. "Excuse me, sir! ZPD, we have a few questions for you."

The wolf calmly walked over to Nick, and Judy. He definitely looked like the frightening type. He wore a black leather jacket with torn up jeans, and a nose ring. "Sure thing, officers," he said, gruffly. "Ask away."

"We got a call about a disturbance in this neighborhood. A wolf has been seen terrorizing other animals, growling at them, and such. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Judy asked.

"Not a thing. I just got here. I'm going to my friend's house."

"I see. And I take it your friend lives nearby?" Nick asked.

The wolf pointed to his right. "Just down that street."

"What's your name, sir?" Nick asked.

"Billy Nolan," the wolf said.

"Interesting. Billy, we have reason to believe that you have been the one walking through the neighborhood and scaring animals," Judy said, sternly. "A number of witnesses have described seeing a wolf dressed exactly like you in the area."

"I promise you officers, it wasn't me. I just got here!" Billy said, playing innocent.

"Well, I suppose you won't mind coming down to the station with us, and taking a polygraph test," Nick said.

The wolf's eyes widened. "Is that really necessary? I just told you that it wasn't me," Billy said, clearly irradiated.

"Then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about," Judy. "Come with us."

"No. I'm not going," Billy growled.

"Come with us, Mr. Nolan," Judy said.

"No!" Billy cried.

"Mr. Nolan, we're going to ask you one more time. Cooperate with us or we will arrest you."

"You're not taking me anywhere!" Billy cried. "Don't make me hurt you! Because I will!"

Threatening a police officer; now Billy was in real trouble.

Billy turned on his heels, and started to run, but Nick was one step ahead of him. He whipped out his tranquilizer gun, and fired one dart into Billy's back. The wolf let out a small howl, and then collapsed on the ground.

"Well, I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this, but we did warn him," Judy said. "I'm going to need some help getting him in the car."

"Sure thing. You better put handcuffs on him, just in case he wakes up. Some of these large animals take more than one dart to put them down," Nick suggested.

"Good idea," Judy said, handcuffing the wolf's paws. With Nick's help, the two of them placed Billy's unconscious body in the backseat of the car, and returned to the police station.

As they were driving, Nick thought about his dream last night, and the possibility of asking Judy out on a date. Would she say yes? They were good friends after all, so why wouldn't she? Still, Nick felt like he was pushing things. He was a fox, and she was a rabbit. The two of them dating sounded ridiculous. But as his mother always told him, you'll never know until you try.

Nick took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh. "Judy, are you doing anything this evening?" he asked.

"No. I was just going to go home, and relax. Why?" Judy asked.

"I was wondering…I mean...if you didn't have any plans…would you like to go out with me for dinner tonight?" Nick asked. He was very nervous; and shocked that he actually managed to ask Judy out.

"I'd love too, Nick. What time?" Judy asked, happily.

"Um…6:30? And maybe afterwards we could catch a movie or something," Nick suggested.

"That sounds wonderful!" Judy exclaimed.

"Great….so I guess I'll pick you up at your place at 6:30?" Nick said.

"Sounds like a plan," Judy said. "Looking forward to it."

"Awesome! So am I," Nick said, unable to help crack a smile.

When they arrived at the police station, Billy was starting to wake up. Once he was fully conscious, several eye witnesses were called down to the station to identity him. All of them identified him as the wolf that had been terrorizing the neighborhood. Street surveillance cameras also showed Billy in the process of howling at a group of kids walking down the street. Billy was charged with disturbing the peace, and resisting arrest. He would be held in jail until his court date. Another job well done," Nick said to Judy. "Definitely. We're the perfect team," Judy said.

Nick smiled. "Yes we are."

* * *

Later that evening, Nick put on a suit and tie. He planned on taking Judy to a fancy restaurant, and he wanted to look his best.

As he drove to Judy's apartment, he swung by the florist to pick her a bouquet of flowers. He hadn't dated many women before, but he knew that ladies usually loved men doing something like this. When he arrived at Judy's apartment, he took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

The door swung open, and there Judy stood wearing a red dress. She looked amazing.

"Hello, Nick! Ready to go?" she asked.

"Yes. You….you…look beautiful," Nick said. He was beyond nervous.

"Aw! Thank you, Nick. You look pretty handsome, yourself."

"These are for you," Nick said, handing Judy the bouquet of flowers.

Judy's eyes widened. "Nick! They're beautiful!" she said. "I'll go put them in a vase of water before we go."

Judy went back inside, and took a vase that her mother had sent her out, filled it with water, and placed the flowers inside.

"I love petunias!" Thank you, Nick,"

Nick smiled. "You're welcome, Judy. Are you ready to go?"

"Yep. Let's go."

When they got outside, Nick remembered that it was courteous for a guy to open the car door for a lady; so he did just that for Judy.

"Thank you, Nick. Such a gentleman."

Nick had decided to take Judy to a fancy restaurant called "Binos." As he drove down the street, Judy could see how nervous Nick was. His fur was standing up, and he was sweating profusely. She calmly placed a paw on his shoulder. "Nick, don't be nervous. It's just me," she said, smiling. Nick relaxed; she was right. There was nothing to worry about. He and Judy were just friends, that's all. Just two friends going out to dinner together.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Nick and Judy looked over their menus excitedly.

"I'm so hungry," Judy said. "What are you getting?"

"I'm not sure yet," Nick answered. "There's a lot of good food here."

"Have you been here before?" Judy asked.

"A couple times," he said.

Their waiter, a panda, walked over to their table with a notepad and a pencil. "Are you two ready to order?" he asked.

"Yes," Judy said, putting her menu down. "I'll have a sweet tea to drink, and large order of lemon-glazed carrots, please."

"Alright. And for you, sir?" the waiter asked Nick.

"You know what, I'll have the same thing," Nick said, smiling at Judy.

"Two orders of sweet tea and lemon-glazed carrots, coming up," the waiter said. After he left, Nick and Judy talked about their day. "What were you and Bogo talking about before I arrived this morning?" Nick asked.

"We were discussing a series of burglaries that have happened recently," Judy answered. "All have happened at night, and the thief breaks in using the chimney on each house."

"That's pretty crafty," Nick said. "I should use the chimney next time I rob a house."

Judy eyed him questioningly.

"Just joking," Nick said, laughing.

"That's good. Your criminal days are way behind you," Judy said.

"Yeah, and I'd never return to them either. I'm happier doing what I do now than I was scamming people."

"You're a good guy, Nick."

"I try," Nick said, giving a sly smirk.

A few minutes later the waiter returned with their order of lemon-glazed carrots. Judy finished her dish in no time; while Nick took his time eating. He'd had carrots before, but never steamed, lemon-glazed carrots. It was quite a change, albeit a nice one. After dinner, Nick and Judy got back into the car, and drove off. "Would you like to see a movie?" Nick asked.

"Sure! Can we go see "The Lion and the Antelope" I've heard some really good things about it."

"Sure," Nick replied. He knew that "The Lion and the Antelope" was a chick flick, and he honestly much rather see something else, but he could make an exception for night, especially for Judy. When they arrived at the theatre, Nick was prepared to buy Judy her ticket, but the young rabbit quickly refused.

"You paid for dinner, let me get this one," she said.

"Are you sure? I don't mind buying your ticket," Nick asked, surprised.

"I'm sure. This one is all on me," Judy said, handing the bobcat her money at the ticket booth.

She actually bought my ticket, Nick thought to himself. That sure was nice.

In addition to the ticket, Judy also volunteered to buy popcorn and drinks. "I figure we could get a large popcorn to share, and each have our own drinks," she said.

"Sounds good," Nick said. My word this girl is generous.

Even though Nick wasn't looking forward to the movie in particular, he was glad that he was seeing it with Judy. Just as he expected, "The Lion and the Antelope" was a love story; one that clearly touched Judy. It was about a lion and an antelope who fall in love with each other, but can't be together because their parents don't approve of them dating another species. Nick could relate to the plot of the movie very well as he watched the lion in the film yearn for his love, he looked over at Judy, and sighed. They could never be together. He couldn't imagine Judy's parents approving of them dating. It just was too unrealistic. "I know the feeling, lion," he said to himself.

"What did you say," Judy asked.

"I said the lion sure is feeling bad," Nick lied.

"Yeah. Hopefully he'll get together with the antelope in the end. And that's just what happened. The parents of the lion and the parents of the antelope learned how much their children loved each other, and allowed them to get married. Judy smiled as the two characters kissed on screen. "That's so romantic," she said.

"Yeah. It is," Nick agreed.

* * *

After the film, Nick was preparing to bring Judy home, when she suggested they do something else. "Let's go to Zootopia Central Park," she said. "It's a lovely evening."

Nick thought about it for a minute. So far the evening had gone well. In fact, it resembled his dream in every way possible. To say that he was enjoying his date with Judy was an understatement. He honestly didn't want it to end just yet.

"That sounds great," Nick said.

Zootopia Central Park wasn't far from the movie theatre. Nick and Judy traveled their on foot. When they entered the park, they crossed over a bridge that went over a pond. Eventually Judy led Nick up to a hill that overlooked the entire park. She laid down on her back, and Nick joined her. For the next few minutes, they lay there watching the stars together.

"I used to do this with my family all the time when I was little," Judy said. "We'd always try to find stars that are shaped like things. Look at that one!" she said pointing to her right. "That one looks like a heart!" Nick looked at the cluster of stars, and true enough, it did resemble a heart.

He looked around the sky for a while; trying to find any more in the sky. Eventually, he spotted something. "Hey, Carrots, there's one that looks like a big Z," he said.

"Haha. Z for Zootopia," Judy said, laughing.

"Yeah, what a coincidence," Nick said, laughing a long with her.

Gosh this evening was great. Everything about it had gone so well. Nick looked at Judy who was still gazing at the stars. Just like his dream, her violet eyes sparkled against the sky. She looked beautiful. Suddenly, Judy sat up, and brushed the grass off her dress. "Well, this was nice, but it's getting late. I should be getting back."

Nick was snapped out of her trance, and stood up himself. "Ok. I'll drop you off at your apartment."

True to his word, Nick dropped Judy off at her apartment, and even walked her to her door.

"I had a wonderful time tonight, Nick," she said.

"Great. So did I," Nick said, his heart was beating like crazy.

"We should do it again some time," Judy suggested.

"Yeah, we should."

There was a pause between the two. Nick stared into Judy's eyes, falling deeper and deeper into a trance. Before he knew it, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Judy pulled back, startled.

"Nick!" she cried.

Nick had returned to reality, and when he did was very embarrassed. "I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me," he said. But before Judy could respond, Nick took off running, and drove as fast as he could back to his apartment. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, fox," he said to himself. They had a nice evening together, and he had to ruin it by kissing her. What was he thinking? They weren't even dating!

Arriving back at his own apartment, Nick locked the door behind him, and collapsed on his bed. There was no doubting it now. He liked Judy more than as a friend. But as always, he managed to screw things up.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! And thanks again to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or followed this story! I greatly appreciate it.**


	3. Guilty as Charged

Chapter 3:

Guilty as Charged

* * *

Judy arrived at the ZPD early the next day. Though she was ready to take on whatever the day had to offer, she couldn't stop thinking about what had happened last night with Nick. He had actually kissed her. What could have possibly made him do that? In retrospect, Judy wasn't angry at Nick. She was just caught off guard. It was out of the blue after all. Judy had always seen Nick as her partner, and her friend, nothing more. Maybe he was just caught up in the moment. After all, it was a romantic evening. But what if it wasn't? No, no, Judy reassured herself. You're just jumping to conclusions. He was just trying to be nice, but it wasn't the right way to do it. I'm probably the first girl he's ever taken on a date. Nevertheless, she was curious to know why Nick had done it. Again, she wasn't angry at him, she just really wanted to know.

When Nick arrived at the station, he went straight to his office, and started on some paperwork. He knew that he would eventually have to see Judy, and he was dreading it after what happened last night. What was he thinking? Kissing her on their first date? More to the point, they weren't even romantically involved. It was just…the evening was so nice, and she looked so pretty under the starry skylight. He could still see her violet eyes staring back at him. So beautiful, so entrancing. No. They could never be together. A fox and a rabbit was too extreme. He couldn't even begin to imagine what her parents would think. They'd probably have her institutionalized. Nick had met Judy's parents several times. The first time he will never forget. Her father looked like he was going to jump out of his fur the minute he saw him. Judy quickly assuaged their fears, and over time, they grew to like Nick. But liking someone as an animal was one thing; actually dating them was another. He'd heard stories about animals of different species mating, and he was well aware at some of the disproval of it. Some people saw it as immoral for one species to mate with a different species. It went against nature!

Nick personally never saw anything wrong with it, but he never told anybody that. He always believed that he would be looked down upon even more if he did. No. It was best that he and Judy remained as partners and friends, nothing more. Still, seeing her after what he did last night was nerve-wracking. He just couldn't bear to do it! Besides, she was mad enough as it was. Her reaction last night made that abundantly clear. But he couldn't just not see her; they were partners after all. Ok. He would continue to see her, acknowledge her, but he'd only polite, and not friendly. That was the way to go. Be courteous like one should to everyone one meets, but not get too close.

Suddenly, the door to his office opened, and Judy stepped inside.

"Hey Nick!" she said, cheerfully."

"Oh, hey Judy," Nick said.

That was odd, Judy thought. He usually calls me Carrots.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Fine," Nick simply said, not bothering to look up from his paperwork.

Judy paused for a moment, thinking of what else to say.

"I had a great time last night!"

"Good for you," Nick responded.

"Is something wrong, Nick?"

"Nope. I'm just busy, that's all."

"Is it about the kiss last night?"

Nick's heart started beating like a drum. There was no way he was going to talk about this.

"Could you please leave me alone? I have a lot of work to do," he said firmly.

Judy's ears drooped. There was something wrong.

"Ok. I just wanted to see how you were doing," she said. "I'll go now."

Judy shut the door behind her, and made her way to her own office. What's wrong with him? Last night he was so charming, and now it's like he hates me. What did I do? She wondered.

* * *

For the next few days, Nick was distant from Judy. He responded to her whenever she talked to him, but he never sought her out unless he absolutely had too, and even then he still seemed distant. Nick had a tradition of always eating lunch with Judy, but for the past few days, he hadn't done that. He even refused her offer to buy him lunch! What was happening? Where was her friend? The guy that would joke around with her, the guy who was always at her side? She just couldn't understand it all.

In order to find out what was going on with Nick, Judy asked Chief Bogo if they could take the night patrol one Wednesday evening. As always, they started their patrol around 7:00, and drove around Zootopia looking for any signs of trouble or distress. For over an hour, Nick was quiet, and mostly just looked out the window. Finally, Judy decided to break the ice.

"Have you seen any good movies lately?" she asked.

"Nope," Nick, simply said.

Ok. Maybe a different question.

"How about this weather, huh? It's been pretty warm lately, hasn't it?"

"Well, it is spring."

"I've always liked spring. Do you have a favorite season?"

"Nope."

Judy slammed on breaks, and pulled over to the curb. "Ok, what is going on here!" she cried. "You've been practically ignoring me for days now! Is it something I did? Did I offend…?

"Shush, shush," Nick said, placing a hand over her mouth. He saw something.

"Don't you shush me! I want to talk…"

"Be quiet, and look," he whispered, pointing across the street.

On the other side of the street, Judy saw a panther pick open the lock to the doors leading to the Zooptia Museum of Natural History and walk inside. The museum had been closed for hours, and there was no reason for anyone to go in there until the morning, and even If they did want to go in, wouldn't they have a key to get in?

"I think we have a robbery in process," Nick said. "Let's go."

He exited the car, and quietly, he and Judy walked in through the door that the panther had gone through. They crept quietly through the exhibits; on alert for any more suspicious activity. Suddenly, Judy heard a shuffling sound from around the corner.

"Over there," she whispered. The two crept quietly, and slowly peeked around the corner. There in the dim light was the panther they saw break in. He was cutting a painting out of its frame with a knife. Without wasting another second, Judy sprang into action.

"Freeze! She cried. "Get down on the ground and put your paws in the air!"

The panther swung around, and grabbed something out of his pocket. Nick was the first to identify what it was: a 9mm handgun. The panther pulled the trigger once, shooting a bullet straight for Judy. Before the young rabbit could process what was happening, Nick jumped in front of her, allowing the bullet to hit him directly in the chest.

Nick clutched his chest, and fell to the floor. "Nick!" she cried.

By now the panther had run away, leaving Nick to bleed out on the floor of the museum. Judy grabbed her radio, and called for help. "Dispatch this is Officer Hopps, we need medical attention right now! We have an officer down! I repeat we have an officer down."

"Copy that, Officer Hopps. Where is your location?" Clawhauser answered.

120 Bullwinkle Road, the Zootopia Museum of Natural History," Judy cried.

"Roger. We'll send for backup, and the paramedics."

"Hold on, Nick," Judy said, covering his wound with her paws in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Nick was still breathing albeit, slowly. He groaned, as he tried to sit straight up, but the pain was just too much.

"Judy…" he started to say.

"It's going to be OK, Nick. The paramedics are on their way."

"I have to…tell you...something," he said.

"What? What is it?" Judy asked, frantically.

"I…"

The paramedics rushed in, and they quickly put Nick onto a stretcher, and lifted him into an ambulance. Judy chose to ride with him, watching anxiously as the team fought to keep Nick alive. Upon arriving, they took him straight to ER. Judy was told to wait out in the lobby until further notice.

She didn't want to leave Nick! Not now! Not after what just happened! He took a bullet for her! Chief Bogo arrived at the hospital later, and Judy explained the situation to him. Bogo told her that right now there was nothing she could do, and that it was best to just relax. But Judy couldn't relax. Not when her partner had been gravely wounded.

As the hours went by, Judy sat in agonizing anticipation. Earlier the doctor, a dog, came out and told her that they were going to perform surgery on Nick. Judy prayed that everything would be all right; she couldn't bear to think of losing Nick. Not like this.

When the doctor entered the lobby, Judy ran up to meet him; her eyes bloodshot red from crying.

"Doctor, doctor, is he going to be, OK?"

Dr. Townsend, a dog, held up his hands, and ushered her to calm down. "The surgery was successful. We've removed the bullet from Officer Wilde's chest. It missed his heart by just a few inches."

"Thank goodness! Is he going to be alright?" she asked, eager to know.

"I can't say for certain. He's lost a lot of blood, and is very weak. Dr. Townsend said, honestly.

"Oh no," Judy whimpered.

"I just wanted to let you know that we're doing the best we can," he said.

"Can I see him?" Judy pleaded.

"Of course."

The doctor led her to a room down the hall. In the room Nick lie on the bed connected to an IV. His eyes were closing, and he was breathing slowly. Judy walked over to his bedside. "Nick, Nick, can you hear me?" she asked. There was no response. Tears filled Judy's eyes as he laid her head down on the bed, crying profusely.

As she sobbed, Nick slowly opened his eyes, and saw Judy crying at his bedside.

"Hey, Carrots," he whispered softly.

Instantly Judy raised her head. Her eyes lit up when she saw Nick looking back at her. "Nick! Oh my goodness! You're OK."

"I never thought getting shot would hurt so much," he confessed. "It's not like the movies at all."

Judy smiled. Words could not begin to describe how grateful she was right now."

"Judy…I need…to…tell you…something," he whispered. He didn't much strength.

"What is it?" Judy asked.

"I…I… love…"

"You love me?" Judy asked, tears filling her eyes."

Nick smiled. "Guilty as charged," he said.

* * *

 **A/N: That's quite a cliffhanger! But don't worry, there will be at least one more chapter, and maybe more if you want. Let me know in the reviews!**


	4. Love Reciprocated

Chapter 4

Love Reciprocated

* * *

After staying with Nick for over an hour, the doctor advised her to go home, assuring her that Nick was in good hands. Judy didn't want to leave Nick's side; especially not after he admitted that he loved her. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was serious. There was doubt that Nick truly meant what he said. So that's why he's been avoiding me lately, Judy thought. He's afraid of what I'll say. Truthfully, Judy didn't know what to say to Nick. After he confessed his love to her, she simply smiled, and gently ran her paw through his fur.

The question on her mind now was: Did she love him?

Judy saw Nick as her partner, and her best friend, but never anything more than that. In all honesty, she wasn't interested in finding someone special. Judy was happy with where her life was now, and she didn't think a boyfriend would make it any better. She couldn't deny that Nick meant a lot to her, and she meant a lot to him. The fact that he took a bullet for her proved that. The thought of the red fox actually loving her in a way other than as a friend was overwhelmingly touching if not sweet. But did she feel the same way about him?

Judy thought back to a few days earlier when he had kissed her on her date. She remembered being surprised, she wasn't angry about it. In fact, it had actually felt sweet. She knew that she shouldn't have reacted the way she did. Upon seeing her reaction, Nick ran for the hills, thinking he did something wrong. If he had stayed, Judy would have told him that she wasn't mad just surprised, and rather uncertain. Nick had changed a lot since Judy met him. The once deceitful, selfish, insulting fox was now compassionate, honest, and hard-working animal. He'd even earned Chief Bogo's utmost respect, and that was saying something.

When she introduced him to her family, their reaction was one to be expected. After many years of fearing foxes, it's only natural for her parents to be reluctant to Judy having him as her partner on the ZPD. Fortunately, overtime they grew to like Nick, and now saw him as one of the family. She smiled remembering fondly how he and her father bonded over playing cards one evening. When he last visited, he even said, "That's a good fox right there." And he was right. Nick was a good fox; he was a good animal in general. She was glad to have been the one to set him on the right path. If she hadn't come along, Nick would probably be rotting away in a prison cell right now. Yes, her and Nick may have gotten off to a rough start, but in the end, they proved to be a truly dynamic duo.

* * *

A month rolled by, and by the time Nick returned to the force, Judy was overjoyed. She had visited Nick over the many weeks in the hospital, making sure to stop by at least once a day to see him, but it wasn't the same as having him by her side when she was on duty. They hadn't discussed what Nick had told her the night he was shot, Judy knew that it was only time before they had to talk about it. One Saturday afternoon, when they both had the day off, Judy invited Nick out for coffee. The two met at a local café, and talked about the recent updates on the burglary case. The panther that had shot Nick had also been seen on surveillance camera robbing the Bank of Zootopia last week. Unfortunately, the ZPD had very little to go on, and had no idea who the panther was. His description didn't match anyone in the database, so they believed that he had never been arrested. Chief Bogo suspected that the panther was only a pawn in a much larger operation. Whatever it was, Judy was determined to solve the case. Not only to bring peace to all of Zootopia, but to bring whoever was responsible to justice.

"What do you make of all this?" Judy asked.

Nick shrugged. "Honestly, I have to agree with Chief Bogo. This seems like a big operation. I sincerely doubt one guy is pulling all of this off by himself."

"I'm starting to believe that too, but I don't have any idea who he could be working for," Judy said, puzzled. Then she got an idea.

"You don't suppose, Mr. Big would know something, do you?" she asked.

Nick's eyes widened. "Uh… maybe, why do you ask?"

"Well, he has a big reputation in Zootopia's underworld. He might know something that we don't," Judy suggested.

Nick agreed. "You got a point. We should visit him at his estate, and see if he knows anything."

"Ok. Sounds like a plan," Judy said, smiling.

A moment of silence followed as Nick thought of how to best say what he wanted to say.

"Judy, about what I said a month ago when I was in the hospital…I'm really sorry," Nick began to say.

Judy placed a paw, and his hand, and softly smiled.

"Nick, you don't have to apologize. I'm glad you told me," she said.

Nick's eyes widened in surprise. "You are?"

Judy nodded.

"It's just…you're amazing in every sense of the word. Whenever I'm with you, I feel like I can do anything! It's like I'm invincible! You've opened my eyes to just how sweet life can be! It's hard to believe that when I first met you, I thought you were just an annoying, dumb bunny. Boy was I wrong. You're everything an animal should be, Carrots. I think everyone could learn a lesson from you."

Judy tried to fight back the tears, but she couldn't do it. Nick's speech was far too touching. She leaned forward, and kissed him on the lips.

"Thank you," she said. "I love you too."

In that moment, every animal in the café watched as Nick and Judy embraced each other in another tender kiss. Some were shocked to see a rabbit and fox actually kissing, while others thought it was sweet. Either way, Nick and Judy didn't care what they thought. Right now, it was just about the two of them.

* * *

 **A/N: You'll be happy to know that I've decided to turn this into a full-length story! I'm not sure how long just yet, but I wanted to let you know that it will be longer than this! By the way, this chapter was inspired by the song "Thank You For Loving Me" by Bon Jovi. I highly recommend that you check it out. It's a great song, and I think it describes Nick and Judy's relationship.**


	5. On the Trail of a Thief

Chapter 5:

On the Trail of a Thief

* * *

Shortly after discussing their plans in the café, Nick and Judy drove to Mr. Big's estate to ask him some questions regarding the recent robberies in Zootopia. In all honesty, Nick was a little apprehensive about meeting with Mr. Big. Given their history, he believed Mr. Big still harbored a grudge against him for selling him a skunk rug. However, Judy was quick to assure him that all that was in the past, and that Mr. Big and his men weren't out to get him anymore.

Upon arriving, they were escorted to Mr. Big's office by two of his polar bear henchmen. Mr. Big sat in his small chair upon his desk. Upon seeing Nick and Judy, he greeted them warmly. "My friends, long time no see," he said. "What can I do for you today?"

Nick was too nervous to speak; so Judy decided to take charge.

"Mr. Big, in the past few months, Zootopia has been overcome by a string of robberies. Given your status in the Zootopian underworld, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"My child, I do hope you aren't accusing me of these robberies," Mr. Big warned. The two polar bears stepped forward in an attempt to intimidate Nick and Judy.

"Of course not, sir. We just thought that you might know something that may help us in our investigation," Judy explained.

Judy took a photograph out of her pocket, and showed it to the shrew. It was a picture taken from the surveillance camera of the panther robbing the Bank of Zootopia.

"Ah! Charlie's at it again," Mr. Big said, upon seeing the photograph.

"Is that the panther's name?" Judy asked.

"No, no. That's Lenny, one of Charlie's goons. Charlie Cheetah is a crime boss in Zootopia. The police have been trying to bust him for years, but could never arrest him due to lack of evidence. He and I had a falling out a few years ago. I bought some jewelry for my daughter, Fru-Fru. It was a diamond necklace. I was going to get it for her as a birthday present. But I quickly found out that the necklace was fake! When I confronted him on the matter, Charlie pretended to be innocent, and claimed to know anything about it, but I knew better. I vowed to get back at him for his sneaky little act, but before I could do anything, he was gone, and it took me months to find out where he was holding up, but by the time I did, I knew that it was a lost cause. You see, Charlie has many more men than I do; plus he's got help from outside Zootopia. Any move you make on Charlie, it going to backfire six ways to Sunday. As angry as I was at him, I knew I couldn't risk my own men or Fru-Fru getting hurt, so I backed off.

"Where is he now?" Nick asked.

"He's got his operation set up at the old toy factory just outside of town. They usually meet in the evenings to discuss whatever plan they've got cooked up. With all the robberies that have been happening lately, who knows what Charlie has planned next?"

"Great!" Judy said, smiling brightly. "Now we know who's behind the robberies!"

"Hold up, Carrots, it's not that simple. We have a suspect, but that's it. We don't have any evidence that Charlie is behind all the robberies," Nick explained.

Judy frowned. "You're right, but we could still go check out the toy factory!"

"I think we should get Chief Bogo's approval before we do that," Nick said.

"Why? It's an abandoned factory; we don't need a warrant to search it," Judy argued. "Plus we have probable cause!"

"I know, but it's pretty risky just the two of us going in alone. Who knows how many guys Charlie has with him?

"We won't arrest him, Nick, we'll just stakeout the place, and try to collect some evidence. You know, photographs, and things like that."

"Sorry, Carrots, but we should at least tell Chief Bogo first before doing anything," Nick said.

"Alright. First thing tomorrow, we'll tell him. I can't wait to catch this slime ball," Judy said.

After leaving Mr. Big, Nick walked Judy back to her apartment. "Well, it's been a nice day off, but it's back to the grind tomorrow," Nick said.

"Indeed. Hopefully we'll finally catch Charlie Cheetah!" Judy cried.

Nick smiled. "Yeah, maybe we will." He leaned forward, and kissed her on the lips. Judy returned the kiss with just as much fervor, enjoying the passionate moment between them. "I guess this means we're a couple now," Nick said.

Judy blushed. "I guess so."

"Well, goodnight, Carrots. I'll see you in the morning!"

"Goodnight Nick!"

Once he was out of sight, Judy changed into her uniform, boarded a bus, and took it to the abandoned toy factory on the outskirts of town. Upon arriving, Judy looked around for a way inside. She knew that she couldn't just waltz right through the front door. There had to be a safer, sneakier way to enter. Judy ran around back, and saw a gutter leading up to n opened window. She wrapped her paws, and feet around the gutter, and slowly climbed upward. When she reached the top, she hopped through the window, and landed with a soft thud on the ground. Inside, she could hear voices coming from down a corridor. Judy crept quietly towards where they were coming from. The young rabbit had no idea what she was going to see around the corner, but she knew that she had to check it out regardless. Peering through a crack in the wall, she saw three bobcats' playing cards on a large crate. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her carrot pen, and pressed the record button.

"What do you think the boss wants to see us about?" one of them asked.

"Probably has something to do with the next shipment," another one replied.

"I can't believe he makes us go through all that trouble to steal all that stuff, just so he can fund his catnip operation."

Catnip operation? Judy knew for a fact that catnip has been illegal in Zootopia for the past twenty years. Possession and/or distribution of it was a felony with a possible sentence of five years. Charlie was running his own catnip operation! And he was stealing valuable items to sell to buyers for money to fund it! The bobcats just confirmed it!

"I wouldn't question what the boss says, Marco," said one of the bobcats. "You know how he hates it when people question him."

"I know. It just seems like a lot of work to steal all those things, sell them, and then give the money to other dealers in exchange for catnip."

"That's why he had Lenny rob the Bank of Zootopia a few days ago. This way we don't have to go through the trouble of finding someone to sell the valuables too."

"Speaking of which, where does he sell them too?"

"Heck if I know. He probably sells them to someone outside the city."

This was great, Judy thought. These guys are practically pouring the evidence into my paws!

As she crept closer so she could hear better, Judy's phone rang. Not again, she thought to herself. She quickly silenced her phone, but it was too late; the bobcats had already heard. "Who's there?" one of them called. She could hear them slowly walk towards her.  
"Come out now!" another one cried.

"You're only making this harder on yourself!"

"I got to get out of here," Judy whispered to herself.

As she turned to run away, she ran right into a larger bobcat; bigger than the three she had been spying on.

Before she had time to draw her gun, the bobcat swiftly hit her upside the head, knocking her unconscious.

* * *

 **A/N: Big cliffhanger! I've decided to include action in the story. Don't worry, there will still be plenty of tender Nick and Judy moments; that's the main plot after all.**

 **PS: Thank you again for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. That means a lot. You guys are awesome!**


	6. The Chase

Chapter 6:

The Chase

 **A/N: Thank you to all who have reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. I really appreciate it. You're awesome!**

* * *

When Judy came to, she looked around the room, and saw that she was tied to a chair. The work of Charlie's goons no doubt, she thought. "I got to get out of here," she said. As she tugged at her wrists tied with rope, a door flung open. Looking up, she saw Charlie Cheetah walking toward her with several armed bobcats behind him.

"Hello, Officer Hopps," he said, softly. "Nice to see you're awake."

"What do you want, Charlie?" Judy spat, trying her best to look confident.

"I should be asking you the same question. Don't you know it's rude to barge in on someone's home unannounced?

"Save it, Charlie. Once the rest of my squad gets here, you'll a new cell all to yourself. You won't have to worry about anyone barging in."

Charlie laughed. "You dumb bunny, I know that you're the only one who knows about this place. If you weren't, you'd have brought them here already."

Judy's confidence dropped. He was right. She never told anyone that she was coming here tonight. No one knew where she was.

"Such a disappointment I'm sure. Well, don't worry bunny, you won't be alone for long. You'll be with the rest of the animals I've dealt with in the past. Haha," Charlie chucked.

Judy knew that couldn't be good. If Mr. Big iced animals that double crossed him; she couldn't begin to imagine what Charlie would do to her.

Nick! He knew about this place! He had to put two and two together. He just had too!

"But it's late, and I'm very tired. I'll take care of you in the morning. In the meantime, have a good night's sleep. As a matter of fact, you shouldn't bother waking up. Haha. Goodnight, bunny!"

Charlie left the room, and locked the door behind. Once he was gone, Judy tried to free her paws, but it was no use. She was tied to the chair tight. "I can't give up. I got to keep trying." As Judy struggled to get free, she tried her hardest not to think of the worst possible outcome. "Nick will come for me. I know he will."

* * *

Early the next morning, Nick arrived at the police station. To his surprise, Judy wasn't there. "That's not like her," he said to himself. "Maybe Chief Bogo knows where she is. However, Chief Bogo didn't even know where was, and neither did Clawhauser for that matter. "She didn't call in," he said, when Nick asked him.

But he didn't worry about it. She probably didn't feel well, that's all. Still, he never had known her to not come into work. The rest of the day Nick worked alone. He did his patrols, filled out paperwork, and pulled over a tiger for driving erratically. It turned out that the tiger was under the influence of catnip. As Nick was putting the cuffs on him, the tiger pleaded that the catnip wasn't his.

"I swear someone sold it to me," he said.

"I'm sure they did," Nick said, not in the mood to hear the tiger's excuses.

"No, no, it's true! This guy…Charlie Cheetah gave it to me."

Nick's eyes widened. "Did you just say Charlie Cheetah?"

"Yes. He's a dealer on the West Side. He's been selling it for months now."

"Tell me more about him," Nick said, suddenly interested.

"He's got his operation set up in an abandoned toy factory on the West Side. He usually hangs out there."

So Charlie Cheetah was a catnip dealer. This lead was too good not to follow up. He had told Chief Bogo about what he and Judy had learned from Mr. Big, but the chief of police didn't think it was enough to search the factory. He said that he didn't trust a crime boss like Mr. Big. Nick was disappointed when he heard this. He was sure that Judy could convince him otherwise. After all, she was the one who was sure that Charlie was behind it all.

Judy! He had almost forgot about her! He planned on stopping by her apartment after work, but now that he thought about her, it didn't feel right going to the factory without her. She was his partner after all.

After bringing the tiger back to the station for booking, Nick called Judy's cellphone, but he didn't get an answer. Where is she?

The last time he saw her she was pretty eager to check out the factory, and he had to talk her out of it. Wait a minute. There was no way she'd check it out without him, was there?

Judy was persistent, and oftentimes she acted without thinking. What if she did go to the factory alone? What if something happened to her?

Nick drove as fast as he could to the factory. When he arrived, he climbed up the gutter, and looked inside. He saw two bobcats guarding a door. Getting closer, he overheard what they were saying.

"So what's the boss going to do with the bunny cop?"

Bunny cop! It had to be Judy! Nick thought.

"The same thing he does with all the animals who mess with him. He's going to burn her. He would have done it earlier, but he had to deal with loading the truck. He says we got an order outside of the city somewhere."

"So I'm guessing he'll take care of the bunny when he's finished."

"Yep."

"Sounds good. It's been a while since he's burned someone."

"I got to get Judy out of here," Nick said to himself.

Nick took out his tranquilizer gun, and fired two darts at the bobcats. Instantly they fell asleep. On one of the bobcats was a key, which Nick assumed was to the door. Once inside, Nick saw Judy on the floor tied to the chair.

"Nick! I knew you would come!" Judy cried.

"Judy! What are you doing here? I thought I told you not to come until we told Chief Bogo," Nick said.

"I know. I shouldn't have done it, but I just couldn't resist. But guess what, Charlie Cheetah is behind the robberies! And guess what else, he has his own catnip operation!"

"Yeah, I found out about the catnip this morning when I arrested a tiger in possession of it. Now let's get you out of here. Nick untied Judy, and then called for backup on his radio. "This is Officer Wilde, we are currently at the abandoned toy factory on the West Side. We need backup right now. We've got a catnip cartel on our paws."

"Roger, Officer Wilde. We're on our way," said Clawhauser.

"Great. Now we just need to hide out until….

"Leaving so soon," said a voice from behind them.

Nick and Judy turned and saw Charlie and ten of his bobcats pointing rifles at them.

"I got to say I didn't think anyone would come for you, Officer Hopps. Guess I was wrong. Looks like I'll be burning two cops today."

"Go ahead, Charlie. The rest of our squad are on their way, and when they get here, they'll arrest you for murder, along with all of your other crimes," Judy said.

"I'll take my chances," Charlie said, smiling. "Get them."

As the bobcats approached Nick and Judy, the sound of sirens came from outside, followed by a loud voice.

"This is the police. Come out with your paws in the air!"

"Told you so," Judy said, smiling.

Charlie thought of what to do next. There was no way he was going to surrender peacefully. He had to get out of Zootopia fast.

"On second thought, let's blow this joint, boys," Charlie said. "Get in the truck, let's go." The rest of the bobcats followed Charlie out into the garage. Judy and Nick were right on his tail.

"Start her up!" Charlie yelled to one of the bobcats driving. "The rest of you, make sure they don't follow us," Charlie ordered the remaining bobcats.

When Judy entered the garage, they saw Charlie's truck speed away. "We got to stop him!" Judy said.

Looking around the garage, Nick saw a jeep on the other side. "Let's go," Nick said. He jumped behind the wheel, and Judy followed suit.

The bobcats were just about to reach the jeep when Nick floored it. Thus began, a high speed chase.

Judy looked in the backseat of the jeep, and found an assortment of equipment.

"He's got a grappling hook," she said.

"That's nice. Let's focus on the task at paw: catching up to that truck. Nick sped through the streets, dodging cars and pedestrians left and right. Meanwhile, the rest of the ZPD followed behind them.

Judy gritted her teeth together. She was terrified that someone might get hurt in this chase.

"Please don't run anyone over," she said to Nick.

"I won't," Nick said, making a sharp turn to the right. "Don't worry, we've almost got them. "

"What exactly do you plan to do when you catch up to them?" Judy asked.

"I didn't think that far ahead," Nick confessed.

"Well, that's just great," Judy sighed.

Suddenly Nick got an idea. "Give me that grappling hook," he said.

"Ok. Why?" Judy said, handing it to the fox. "Thank you. Now take the wheel," he ordered.

"What?" Why?" Judy said, grabbing the wheel as Nick stood up, and swung the rope of the grappling hook a few times. "Just get a little closer," he said.

"Are you out of your mind?" Judy cried, upon realizing what he was doing.

"Probably," Nick said.

Judy pushed down on the gas pedal, allowing the jeep to get closer to the truck. Nick threw the grappling hook towards the truck, and hooked it onto the landing gear of the truck. Before he knew it, Nick was pulled from the jeep, and was being dragged across the street as he held onto the rope. The pain was unbearable; even getting shot didn't hurt this much. He bit the bullet, climbed up the rope, and up the cargo container. Carefully he walked towards the hood of the truck, and pressed his face against the windshield. Inside he could see Charlie, and two of his bobcats.

"It's over, Charlie! Pull over now before someone gets hurt!" Nick demanded.

The bobcat driving was petrified. He didn't know what to do.

"What are waiting for? Shoot him!" Charlie yelled. The bobcat took his paws off the wheel to reach for his gun, not realizing that the truck was swerving off the road.

Nick climbed back onto the roof of the cargo container, and held down as tight as he could.

"Look out, you idiot!" Charlie cried, but before the bobcat could steer the truck back onto the road, it crashed into a telephone pole.

Nick was thrown from the top of the truck, and landed hard on the asphalt. The impact caused him to blackout for a minute. When he finally came too, he sat up, and looked at the truck, which had hit the telephone poll. The vehicle was totaled, but there was no sign of Charlie anywhere. Nick tried to stand up, but found that he couldn't. His body hurt too much. He summoned what strength he had in him, and crawled toward the sidewalk. As he placed a paw in front of him, he heard the sound of a shotgun being pumped from behind him.

Turning around, he saw Charlie standing behind him, pointing the barrel of a shotgun at his face.

"You just wrecked my entire operation," he hissed.

"Yeah, I did," Nick said proudly.

"I should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance. That's not a mistake I'll make twice. Looks like you're going to die in the line of duty, fox."

Nick closed his eyes; he couldn't bear to see what was coming next. Before Charlie pulled the trigger, he felt several stings in his backside. He dropped the gun, and fell face down onto the ground. Nick opened his eyes, and saw Judy standing there with a tranquilizer gun.

"Not exactly your best idea, huh?" she said.

"Carrots, you saved me," Nick said in disbelief.

"Hey, I'm a cop. That's what I do," Judy said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Let's get you to a hospital."

The rest of the police arrived, and arrested Charlie. The notorious crime boss was charged with 55 counts of robbery, 67 counts of possession and distribution of catnip, kidnapping, assault on an officer, and disturbing the peace.

Nick was brought to Zootopia general where he found that he broken both his legs in the crash. Though it meant being out of the force for another few months, Nick didn't mind. Charlie was beat, and the rest of Zootopia was safe from his wicked deeds. He had Judy to thank for it. If she hadn't come along, he'd surely be dead. Once again, the little rabbit who originally blackmailed him, came to his rescue.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this action packed chapter. More to come soon!**


	7. Going Public

Chapter 7:

Going Public

* * *

In the weeks that followed Charlie's arrest, Nick stayed at Zooptopia General Hospital receiving treatment for his broken legs. Judy visited him every day, and let him know how things were on the force. Nick couldn't wait to get back to work. Weeks in the hospital doing nothing but watching TV was driving him crazy. When his bones had mended, Judy was there to watch Nick make his first steps in over a month. Judy was by his side ready to assist him if he needed help. He hadn't used his legs in over a month so he might be pretty feeble with the first steps he took. To her surprise, and delight, Nick was managed well, and was able to walk around the hospital room with no help.

"This is great!" he said. "I feel like I could run a marathon!"

He started to run towards the door, but quickly fell on his face. "Ok. Maybe I'm not well enough to run a marathon just yet," he quipped.

Judy ran to his side, and helped him back up. "One step at a time," she said, leading him back to his bed. "I talked to Chief Bogo. He said you should at least take another week off before coming back to work."

"What am I supposed to do for another week? I sure don't want to stay here any longer," Nick complained.

"Just rest at home until you're well enough to come back," Judy suggested. "Don't worry, I'll still come visit you. She kissed him on the cheek; convincing Nick that she was right.

"Alright, Carrots. I'll take another week off. But I got to tell you, I'm itching to get back to work."

"I know. I'm itching to have you back as my partner," Judy said. "But your health is more important. I want you to be in tip top shape when you're back to chasing down criminals."

"Yeah, I certainly wouldn't be able to chase the bad guys in the condition I'm in now."

"Exactly. Now go get some rest. I'll have the nurse come bring you a wheelchair and then I'll bring you home."

"I don't need a wheelchair, Carrots. I can walk fine. Besides, I've been sitting down for a month. I'm sick of it."

Judy laughed. "Fair enough."

* * *

A week later Nick was back on the force. He was welcomed back with open arms the moment he walked into the station. His and Judy's capture of Charlie Cheetah had made headlines across Zootopia, and earned both of them much praise from their colleagues.

During their spare time, Nick and Judy spent every moment together as well. They went to movies, rode bicycles, had picnics in the park, and even went golfing, where Judy beat Nick in a game of nine holes. The two had grown comfortable in their relationship; so comfortable that they were ready to go public with it. Everyone on the force knew that they were close, but no one expected that they were actually dating. They just assumed they were partners as well as close friends. One afternoon, while on lunch break, Nick and Judy revealed their relationship to Clawhauser and several other officers. Not surprisingly, some of them were shocked at the revelation. Interspecies dating was still a controversial subject, and even though it was perfectly legal, it still was frowned upon by some animals. Clawhauser however, was very supportive.

"Aw! That's wonderful! You two are such a cute couple!" he said.

Nick and Judy smiled. "Thank you," they both said.

Andy, an antelope, on the other hand, did not approve. Two different species of animals dating just wasn't natural, especially a fox and a rabbit. More to the point, dating fellow officers was not approved by protocol. If Chief Bogo knew about this, he would step in and make sure that Nick and Judy only see each other as coworkers, and nothing more. After lunch, he went straight to his office to tell him about it.

"Come in," Bogo said after hearing a knock on his door.

Andy walked in, and waved hello. "Good afternoon, Chief Bogo. How are you?"

"Fine. What do you want, Officer Antelope?"

"Sorry to disturb you sir, but I felt that it was my duty to report to you that Officer Wilde and Officer Hopps are in a romantic relationship with each other.

Chief Bogo stopped writing, and looked up at Andy. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. I just had lunch with them sir, and they told Clawhauser, several others, and I that they were dating."

Chief Bogo placed his pen down, and leaned back in his chair. The Zootopia Police Force had an anti-fraternization policy; one that was strictly maintained. In all honesty, he agreed to the rule. He didn't approve of interspecies dating, even if it was technically legal. It just wasn't right in his opinion. Animals should date their own kind.

"I'll talk to them," he said. "You may return to work, Officer Antelope."

"Yes, sir. Have a nice day."

Chief Bogo didn't say anything in return.

After Andy left, Chief Bogo pressed a button on the intercom. "Clawhauser, send Officer Wilde and Officer Hopps up to my office. I need to have a word with them."

* * *

 **A/N: Cliffhanger! I've been doing some research, and I found out that some companies can prohibit employees from dating each other. It's not seen often, but court decisions have been made giving employers the ability to do that. I thought it would it would this story more interesting. Thank you all for your reviews! Keep them coming! I love reading what you have to say!**


	8. Secrecy

Chapter 8:

Secrecy

* * *

When Nick and Judy walked into Chief Bogo's office, they saw that the chief of police did not look happy. Granted, he always looked grumpy, but he looked especially upset today.

"Officer Hopps, Officer Wilde, have a seat," he said.

Nick and Judy did as they were told.

Chief Bogo took a deep breath, and sighed. "I have been informed that you two are currently in a romantic relationship."

"Yes, we are," Judy said, proudly. She took Nick's paw, and held it in her own; giving him a big smile that he gladly returned.

"So it is true. Well, we can't have any of that. So I'm going to ask you nicely to stop seeing each other in a romantic way," Chief Bogo said, sternly.

Nick's eyes widened. He couldn't be serious.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"There's a policy in this department that prohibits relationships between coworkers," Chief Bogo explained. You two will stop seeing each other as of right now. You're work partners, nothing more."

Nick and Judy looked at each other. There was no way this was happening. Before Nick could object, Judy spoke up.

"With all due respect, Chief Bogo, I have to ask: is this really because of some policy or is because you don't approve of interspecies relationships?"

Nick could see Chief Bogo's eyes begin to flare. If anyone knew how to make the buffalo chief angry it was Judy. She wasn't afraid to stand her ground; even against the Zootopia chief of police.

"Officer Hopps, my opinion on the matter has nothing to do with it," he said, firmly. "It's a policy that's been around for a long time, and one that will continue to be upheld."

Judy wasn't convinced. "Why have such a stupid policy? Who are you to tell us that we can't date each other? It's our lives, our choices. Isn't that what Zootopia is all about? Making your own choices."

"Officer Hopps, I have made myself clear, and that is final. You and Officer Wilde are only partners on the force. Do you understand?"

"No. I'm not going to let somebody tell me who I can and cannot date. Nick is my boyfriend I love him…

Chief Bogo slammed his hooves on the desk, causing the room to shake a little.

"That is enough, Officer Hopps! One more word out of you, and you're fired.

Judy opened her mouth to speak, but Nick gently took her by the arm, and shook his head; indicating that it wasn't worth it.

"Now do we understand each other?" Chief Bogo asked.

Nick sighed. Deep down he thought the policy was ridiculous too, but rules were rules. He had no choice but to obey.

"Yes, sir," he said, glumly.

"Yes, sir," Judy said as well. One could hear the reluctance in her voice.

"Very well. Let's not have this conversation again, shall we?" You are dismissed."

* * *

After work, Judy went by Nick's apartment to talk to him more about the situation at hand. The red fox was just as angry as she was. He paced back around the floor, cursing Chief Bogo under his breath.

"Who does that overgrown buffalo think he is? Telling animals they can't date the people they work with. I think you were right, Carrots. He does have something against interspecies relationships."

"I think so too, but that's only one factor. I checked the handbook, and found that there is indeed an anti-fraternization policy. As much as it sucks, it's a rule."

Nick took a seat beside Judy on the bed. He looked in her eyes, and could see the sorrow within them. The young rabbit could not stand it when the things she really wanted were denied from her. Nick wanted to take her in his arms, and kiss away her sorrows, tell her that Chief Bogo's stupid policy didn't matter. They could date each other if they wanted too. It was perfectly legal! Moreover, how would Chief Bogo be able to enforce that? Was he going to follow them everywhere they went to make sure they weren't making out or something? No. He wouldn't do that. But what if one of the other officers on the force saw them, and reported it. That's probably how Bogo found out about it in the first place. Nick hated to see the chief when he was angry; it wasn't a pretty sight.

Nick was sure of his feelings for Judy; surer than he had ever been in his entire life. He loved her, she was special, and he truly wanted to be with her.

He leaned forward, and kissed her softly on the cheek. "I love you."

Judy smiled. "I love you too, Nick."

"What do you say we quit the force?" he said, jumping on the first idea that popped inot his head.

"What!" Judy cried.

"You heard me. We quit. If Bogo won't let us date because we're coworkers, then all we have to do is stop being coworkers."

"Nick, I worked so hard to become a police officer. This has been my dream ever since I was a kid. I could never give it up," Judy said. She pulled out her badge from her pocket, and examined it. The words Zootopia Police Department stared hungrily back at her.

"I can't do it, Nick. Not after all I've been through. And you shouldn't either."

"But what about Bogo?" Nick asked.

"I don't care what Bogo says. I love you, Nick, and I'm not going to stop seeing you just because of some dumb rule."

"Wow! A cop breaking the rules. That's something you don't see every day," Nick said, smirking.

Judy laughed. "Well, I guess I picked up a few habits from you."

"But seriously, I don't want us to stop dating each other. If it means that we have to keep our relationship a secret, then so be it."

Nick grinned. "There's no talking you out of this, is there?"

"You better believe there isn't," Judy said.

"I guess that's alright. But I hate not being able to do things in public with you like hold your paw or kiss you on the cheek."

"I know. I don't like that either, but if we want to see each other, we have to keep this a secret."

Nick wanted to ask if that was all they ever would be: a secret. As long as Judy and him worked for the Zootopia police department, they could never take their relationship to the next level. It was heartbreaking to say the least, and as much as Nick dreaded the idea, he was happy that at least he and Judy could still see each other.

"Alright, Carrots. We'll try it your way," he said. Nick and Judy then kissed each other passionately on the lips, wrapping their arms around each other as they did so. Judy had read about forbidden love in the books she read as a kid. She knew about the sacrifices couples had to make in order to be together. It was painful, but the pain was worth it. She loved Nick too much to let him go.

As the two stood in Nick's apartment, lips pressed together, and in a tight embrace, they both realized that their lives would never be the same.

* * *

 **A/N: Things are heating up! Next chapter will bring on even more suspense!**


	9. Brittney

Chapter 9:

Brittney

* * *

It had been a week since Nick and Judy talked to Chief Bogo about their relationship. They went on with their lives as if nothing had happened. During work, they acted as if they were coworkers, and nothing more, but on the weekends the two visited each other's apartment, and watched movies together. Deep down they both hated having to keep their relationship under wraps, but they never told each other that. They had made it clear that they want to see each other, no matter how secretive they had to be, because it was worth it. The only other people who knew about their relationship were Judy's parents. Upon learning from Judy that Chief Bogo didn't approve of their relationship, they were sympathetic, but advised her that it would probably be best to follow his orders. "Nick is a nice guy, Judy, but you don't want to put your job in jeopardy. Besides, there are lots of eligible rabbits out there," Bonnie said to her over the phone.

Judy's parents weren't against interspecies dating like Bogo was, and they really did like Nick, but they much preferred if she date another rabbit. Judy didn't care. She loved Nick; he was the one for her. Plenty of couples have had to sacrifice things to be with each other. It was just like that movie "The Lion and the Gazelle." They were willing to do anything for each other. That's just how she and Nick were. A couple who were willing to sacrifice things just so they could be together. If that wasn't true love, then she didn't know what was.

One evening, after Nick got home from work, he sat down on the coach, and watched TV. He flipped through the channels, and decided to watch what was on the news. It was a report on the recent attack in Zootopia Central Park. A couple, a dog and a cat, were taking a stroll through the park one evening when they were attacked by a masked assailant. The couple were severely beaten, and left for dead. The Zooptopia Police Department had been investigating the attack in the past few days, and had concluded that it was a hate crime. The couple said that during the attack the assailant repeatedly chanted "we don't need interspacing couples in Zootopia." Judy and Nick had went to interview the couple at the hospital shortly after the attack. The cat said that she couldn't tell what the attacker looked like; his face was covered, and it was too dark out. The dog said the same thing, but suggested that judging by the size of him, he could have possible been a gorilla or a hippo, but he wasn't certain. After the interview, Judy and Nick talked privately about what had happened.

" _Could you imagine if something like that happened to us?" she asked._

" _Judy, we're cops. No one would be stupid to attack us," Nick tried to explain._

" _But what if we're not on the job? What if we're just walking home from dinner, holding hands, and they attack us. We won't have our guns to defend us or anything. We wouldn't stand a chance!"_

" _Judy, no one but us and your parents knows we're dating. If we were out on the town together, we wouldn't give any indication that we're seeing each other. Something like that will never happen."_

" _I hope you're right, Nick," Judy said._

The news report said that there were still no leads on the assault case, but that the police were still continuing the investigation. They said that if anyone has any information to come forward.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Nick stood up, and walked over to door, and opened it. When he saw who was there, he almost jumped out of his fur. Standing there in front of him was a female red fox wearing a blue blouse, and white skirt.

"Hello, Nick. It's been a long time," she said.

"Brittney! What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and I thought I'd stop by and say hi. I haven't see you in quite some time. May I come in?"

"Uh…sure," Nick said, stepping aside to allow Brittney to enter the apartment.

He led Brittney over to the coach, and turned off the TV. He couldn't believe that she was actually here. Nick had not seen Brittney since they broke up three years ago. Their relationship hadn't ended on a good note. In all honesty, his breakup with Brittney had made him stop dating women. When Judy came along, he was enjoying his life as a bachelor. He didn't think that he'd ever find another woman to date, let alone a rabbit.

Seeing Brittney here right now, reminded him of their time together. He couldn't deny that he did have some good times with her, but that was all in the past. He was with Judy now; he was happy with her. There was no point in rekindling what they once had.

"Brittney, is there a real reason why you're here?" Nick asked.

Brittney sighed. "Nick, I know it's been years since we've seen each other, but I want to pick up where we left off. Our relationship didn't end well, I know, but I think that we gave up to early when we were going through hard times. I believe that we can make it work.

"Brittney, I know things didn't end well between us, but years have passed. I've moved on. I've found someone else!"

Brittney's eyes widened. "Oh! I had no idea. I am so sorry for disturbing you, Nick. I'll go now."

"It's OK, Brittney. You don't have to leave. I'm glad you came by. It's nice to see you. Would you like anything to drink?"

"I'll have a glass of water, please," Brittney said.

Nick returned from the kitchen with a glass of water. The two then began to talk about all that gone on in their lives since they broke up. Brittney had heard about Nick and his involvement with the missing mammals case. Nick told her that it was that particular case which led him to become a police officer. Nick didn't bother talking about Judy; he didn't feel comfortable discussing his current relationship with his ex. Brittney was impressed with Nick's story; she couldn't believe how far he had come since she and him dated. Brittney was well-aware of Nick's previous life as a conman. The red fox had often used her in his many scams to earn money. He would always give her a fair share of the profits, allowing her to buy whatever she wanted. Deep down, she had disapproved of his lifestyle. She liked the fact that he gave her enough money to buy fancy jewelry, and clothes, but she knew that that money had come from dirty means. In fact, it was Nick's life as a conman that played a mitigating factor in the ending of their relationship. When Brittney suggested to Nick that he find a real, full-time job where he could earn money rightfully, he grew angry.

Nick remembered how he reacted when she suggested that he find a real job. He told her that no one was going to tell him how he was going to live his life. Moreover, he accused Brittney of being ungrateful after all that he did for her. It was shortly after that, that the two broke up, and went their separate ways.

As Nick finished talking about his job as a police officer, Brittney sighed. "Nick, I'm so glad to hear that you're doing well. I was always afraid that your devious ways would get you locked up, but it seemed like the exact opposite happened. You turned your life around, and are making a difference in the world. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Brittney. I was a fool. I realize now just how screwed up my life was. If it wasn't for Judy, I don't know what I'd do.

"Who's Judy?"

"Oh! My girlfriend," Nick said, cursing himself mentally for mentioning her. Hopefully she wouldn't press him for more information.

"Oh! I'd love to meet her sometime!" Brittney said.

"Yeah, maybe. She's pretty busy though," Nick said, feeling more awkward by the second.

"Hey, I have an idea, how about you and I get some lunch tomorrow at Charley's Diner? Judy can come too!

"Well, Brittney that sounds nice, but I have to work tomorrow. Maybe some other time?" he suggested, hoping that would end the conversation.

"Ok. Well, I best be going now. It was nice catching up with you, Nick. I'm sorry I dropped in so suddenly, and with such a bombshell."

"That's fine, Brittney. It was nice talking to you too."

Once she had left, Nick sat down on the coach, and thought about what had just occurred. Out of the blue, his ex-girlfriend turns up on his doorstep. What were the odds? And she wanted to get back together? Why now? Why all of a sudden?

Before he could think about the matter any further, the phone rang. It was Judy on the other end.

"Hey, Nick! How's it going?" she asked.

"Fine. Just sitting here watching TV," he said.

"Anything good on?"

"Not really."

"I see. Hey, would you like to go out to lunch tomorrow with me? Don't worry, this isn't a date. It's just going to be two friends having lunch together, that's all."

Nick smiled. "I'd love too, Judy."

"Great. I'll see you tomorrow."

He hung up the phone, and turned the TV back on. On the coffee table was a picture of him and Judy taken during Nick's first trip to Bunnyburrow. The two sat on a white picket fence together, arms wrapped around each other. If they moved out to Bunnyburrow, they would have no problems with their relationship. They could display as much public affection as they want. But Judy would never give up her job as a police officer, it was her lifelong dream. Whatever. Even though they had to keep their relationship in the shadows, it was worth it to be together. They were happy together, and happiness was everything.

* * *

 **A/N: For those of you wondering, Brittney will play a significant role in this story. More of Nick's past will also be revealed in upcoming chapters.**


	10. The Decision

Chapter 10:

The Decision

* * *

The next day, Nick and Judy met in a café downtown. Nick didn't tell Judy about Brittney's visit last night. To be honest, he was still shocked by the whole thing. For Brittney to suddenly show up out of the blue was strange, especially since their relationship ended on such a sour note. Nick tried to forget the whole thing, and instead focus on his date with Judy.

"I love this place!" Judy said, putting sugar into her coffee.

"Me too! I always stop here on the way to work to pick up a latte. It really gets me ready for the day ahead."

"I know what you mean," Judy said. "I eat a healthy balance of carrots every morning. I've been doing that for years. It's really energizing."

"Why am I not surprised?" Nick said, smiling. "I would imagine that's your favorite food."

Judy smiled. "It's one of them. I like all fruits and vegetables actually."

"I tell you those glazed carrots we ordered one time were delicious."

"Weren't they? There's all kinds of way to prepare carrots, but that has to be my favorite. It has such a sweet taste to it."

"Hey, Judy, what do you say we leave town for a while, and go someplace? I can talk to Bogo and ask for time off?" Nick asked, changing the subject.

Judy thought about it for a minute. It would be nice to have some time off. Things had been really hectic at the police department in the past few weeks. Plus, she would get to spend quality time with Nick. Maybe they could go someplace romantic like the Bahamas, or Niagara Falls. It was tough keeping their relationship under wraps while on the job, but if they went away for a while, they could actually unwind, and not have to worry about Bogo or anyone else from the police department breathing down their necks.

"I'd love too, Nick! Hopefully Bogo won't mind too much. He's never been too keen on anybody taking time off," Judy said.

"You let me handle, Bogo," Nick said, confidently. "We've done a lot for Zootopia, I think he owes us a little vacation time. Besides, it's been a while since you and I have done anything romantic," Nick said, giving a wink.

Judy blushed, and took another sip from her coffee. "Well, I'm always in the mood for that."

"Nick! You're here too! What a coincidence!" said a voice.

Nick turned to his right, and saw Brittney walking towards them with a cup of coffee in her paws. Upon seeing her, Nick nearly jumped out of his fur. He took a deep breath, and tried his best to play it cool.

"Hi, Brittney, how are you?" he said.

"Doing good! It was great seeing you last night!" Brittney said.

Nick clenched his teeth together. Cats out of the bag, he thought.

"Nick, who's this?" Judy asked, a hint of concern evident in her voice.

"Oh, where are my manners. Hi, I'm Brittney Trixter."

"Oh! Nice to meet you, I'm Judy, she said, shaking Brittney's paw. "So how do you know Nick?"

"We used to date," Brittney said, a bit too proudly.

Nick bit down as hard as he could to prevent himself from screaming. Why? Why is this happening? This is so awkward.

"Oh!" Judy exclaimed, looking at Nick, who looked embarrassed. "I see."

"Well, you two look like you're having a good time together," Brittney said. "I won't spoil your fun. I just wanted to come and say hi. Bye, Nick. It was nice meeting you, Judy."

"Likewise," Judy said, giving Brittney a smile. When the female red fox left, she turned her attention back to Nick, who still looked embarrassed.

"You never told me about her before," she said. "When did you guys date?"

"A year before I met you. Things didn't end so well between us. Last night she showed up unexpectedly at my apartment. To be honest, I was surprised to see her. I thought she didn't want anything to do with me."

"How did it end between you two?" Judy asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Nick replied.

"That's OK. What do you say we go back to my place, and watch a few movies?" Judy asked, changing the subject.

"That sounds great," Nick said.

The two went back to Judy's apartment, and watched some of each other's favorite movies. By the time dinner rolled around, they had spent the last six hours cuddled up together on the coach. Judy had since fallen asleep. The volume was low on the TV as the movie finished playing, and the credits began to roll. Nick grabbed the remote control, and turned it off. He took a look at Judy, who was resting her head on his chest. Quietly, he reached a paw out, and began to gently stroke her back. She looked so beautiful, so sweet. How could Bogo ever deny him such a thing? Nick looked over on the coffee table where his badge, and his gun lay. The two objects that signified his status as an officer of the Zootopia police department. As long as he was on the force, he and Judy couldn't be with each other; they would have to keep their relationship secret. What kind of life is that? They loved each other, and they should be allowed to show their love to the world! The rule was stupid; something designed to wreck the lives of couples just because they worked together. But there was nothing he could do to change it. It was what it was. Nick stared at his badge. He remembered how proud Judy was the day she pinned it on him. The look on her face was one of pure admiration. From then on, the two would work side by side; serving and protecting the citizens of Zootopia. Little did he know then just how much the young rabbit meant to him. He couldn't imagine a life without Judy now; a life without her as his romantic partner, that is.

If the rules couldn't be changed, then Nick would have to compromise. He gently lifted Judy off his chest, and laid her down on the coach. He grabbed some blankets from his bedroom, and covered her with them. He then kissed her softly on the cheek.

Nick grabbed his badge, and gun, and left the apartment. He drove straight to the Zootopia Police Department; heading right to Chief Bogo's office. When he knocked on the door, he heard the disgruntled buffalo signal him that it was OK to come in.

"Officer Wilde, you're not called in today. What do you want?"

"Chief Bogo, I'd like to resign from the Zootopia Police Department," Nick said, firmly.

* * *

 **A/N: Nick is willing to give up his job to be with Judy, but how will she react? And what role will Brittney play in the future? By the way, for those of you who haven't left a review, please do so. I'd love to hear what you think. Also, I'm planning on continuing this for a couple more chapters, and then concluding it. However, I have some ideas that could stretch the story out longer. Would you like the story to continue longer? Finally, I'm planning on writing another story, which will be a series of one-shots focusing on Nick and Judy. I'm currently taking requests on on-shot ideas to write about. If you have any, let me know in the reviews or send me a PM.**


	11. A Civilian Again

Chapter 11:

A Civilian Again

* * *

When Nick returned to his apartment, he saw that Judy was still sleeping on the coach. He decided not to wake her; instead choosing to sit at the kitchen table, and read a magazine. Only an hour ago, he had resigned from the Zootopia Police Department. It was a tough decision, but a necessary one. Chief Bogo was surprised when Nick told him he was resigning. The stubborn buffalo, who had always been known for his indifferent attitude towards others, even tried to persuade him to change his mind. He asked why Nick had decided such a thing, and Nick simply said that he no longer enjoyed being a police officer. He didn't bother going into details about his relationship with Judy, and that the real reason he was resigning was so he could be with her. Nick knew that she would be upset the minute he told her, but it had to be done.

An hour later, Judy woke from her nap. "That was a good nap," she said, rubbing her eyes. She turned and saw Nick sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey you, how long have you been up?" she said, walking over to Nick.

"A couple hours," Nick said. It was time. He had to tell Judy what he had done. She was going to find out sooner or later. It would be much better if she heard it from him than someone else.

"Have you eaten anything? I'm starving! What do you say we go out to dinner?"

"Sure, but first I got to tell you something," Nick said, trying to be as calm as he could.

"What is it?" Judy asked.

"Judy, you know how much I enjoy being your partner on the force, right?"

"Of course! And you know how much I enjoy having you as a partner as well!"

"Right, but I've been thinking more and more about the policy that the police force has against coworkers dating. The more I think about it, the more I realize that it's just too risky for us to keep hiding our relationship in the shadows like this."

"What are you saying, Nick?" Judy asked, her voice full of concern.

"I'm saying that because of the high risk of our relationship being discovered, I've decided to resign from the Zootopia Police Department."

Nick looked Judy directly in the eyes; wondering how she was going to react to the news. The young rabbit stared blankly back at him, mulling over what he just told her. A mixture of anger and sadness began to brew in Judy's brain, and she held nothing back as she unleashed her feelings upon the fox she loved.

"You resigned?" she said, incredulously. "How…How… How could you do this to me, Nick?" Because of our relationship? I don't give a damn what Bogo says, I want to be with you both as your partner on the force, and your lover. And you didn't even talk to me about it before you did it? How selfish is that?"

"Judy, don't you see? I did it for us. Now we can be together freely, and you can continue being a police officer? I know it's your dream, and I don't want to take that away from you. It's for the best."

"Best for who? Best for me or for you?" Judy spat.

"Judy, please just listen…

"No! You listen to me, Nick Wilde! When you're faced with adversity, you don't just give up! You find a way to overcome it! And you certainly don't stab those who love you in the back!

"How am I stabbing you in the back?" Nick cried. "I told you that I'm doing this for us!"

"I don't care what your motive is!" Judy cried, tears streaming down her face. "It was selfish, and wrong. You took an oath, Nick; to serve and to protect the citizens of Zootopia. Now you're turning your back on that oath. If that's not cowardice, then I don't know what is."

Judy grabbed her jacket, and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Nick called after her.

"I'm leaving. I can't be around you right now," She said, crying profusely.

"Judy, come back! Let's talk about this!" Nick yelled. "Judy! Judy!

But the rabbit was already in her car driving away; Nick's decision had crushed her deeply. When she arrived back at her apartment, Judy fell onto the bed face first, letting the tears fall onto the pillow.

* * *

In the weeks that followed, Judy didn't speak or see Nick. She kept to her job on the force, working alone most of the time. Chief Bogo often asked her if she wanted a replacement for Nick, but Judy always turned him down. She didn't want a replacement; deep down she still wanted Nick to be her partner, but she was too stubborn to admit it. Nevertheless, she still occasionally thought about Nick. Since she hadn't spoken to him in weeks, she had no idea what he was up too. Had he found another job? Did he return to his con artist ways? She truly hoped that he hadn't, but the thought remained nonetheless. As mad as she was at him for quitting the force, Judy still couldn't get Nick off her mind. Deep down, she still loved him dearly.

* * *

During the weeks since he'd last seen Judy, Nick had been working at a movie theatre downtown. It wasn't a fun job, and it didn't pay much, but it would do. He still needed to pay rent after all. One afternoon, after he got off work, Nick decided to go to the park. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and he'd been inside all day. It was time he got some fresh air.

Nick sat on one of the park benches, watching various animals walking by. He saw a couple having a picnic together by the pond. Interestingly, the couple weren't of the same species. It was a cat and a dog sharing blueberries. The cat picked up one of the blueberries, and popped it into the dog's mouth. The dog smiled; clearly happy with the situation. In that scene, Nick could see him and Judy sitting together doing the same thing. He could imagine Judy leaning against him as they watched the many animals passing by. He'd then pull her close, and kiss her on the lips. The two would then fall down on the blankets, reveling in each other's presence and touch. Nick had tried contacting Judy in the weeks since he last saw her, but she would never answer the phone or call him back. He kept telling himself that she just needed time to cool off, and then she would be back. But how long was that going to take? Nick still loved Judy with all his heart; he didn't want their relationship to end. If only she could see that what he did was for the best; maybe then she'd come back to him.

As Nick watched the cat and dog kiss each other passionately, he almost didn't notice someone sit down beside him on the bench.

"Hello, Nick,"

Nick turned his head to see Brittney sitting beside him.

"Brittney, how have you been?" he asked, trying to be polite. In all honesty, she was the last animal he wanted to see right now, especially with the way things were going with Judy right now.

"I went by your place earlier, but you weren't there," Brittney said.

"I was probably at work," Nick said.

"Oh! How's life on the force?"

"Actually, I quit the force a while back," Nick confessed.

"Really? Why is that?" Brittney asked, scooting closer to him.

"I really don't want to talk about it," Nick said.

Brittney put her arm around Nick's neck, leaning gently against his shoulder. "So what do you do now?"

Nick felt a tad bit uncomfortable with the way Brittney was leaning on him, but he wasn't too worried about it. Things had ended between them long ago. He played his cool, and acted normal.

"At the moment I work at a movie theatre. I'll probably leave once I find a better job."

"Well, then I guess you shouldn't have quit the force," Brittney teased.

Nick rolled his eyes. "I told you, there's a personal reason why I did that."

"Fine. Whatever. I hope you find whatever it is your looking for, Nick."

A few minutes went by, and neither fox spoke a word. Brittney looked at Nick; even though it had been years since they dated, he was still the handsome fox she remembered. His red fur shining like a diamond in the sunlight; his exotic colored eyes gazing deep within her own. When Brittney first heard about Nick helping solve the missing mammals case, she was shocked. To think that this once deadbeat conman had actually made something of himself, was unbelievable. She remembered the first time she saw him in his police uniform. He looked so handsome. Right then and there, she knew that she wanted Nick back.

Slowly, Brittney crept up towards Nick, and kissed him passionately on the lips.

Nick's eyes opened wide in shock, but before he pull Brittney off, the female fox pushed him down onto the park bench, and began kissing him even more passionately. She wrapped her paws around his head, gently stroking his fur as she kissed him.

Judy was glad that she had decided to take a walk in Zootopia Central Park. After a long day at the ZPD, she needed some time to relax. She jogged down one of the paths in the park, admiring the beautiful day as she went along. "I could never get tired of this," she said to herself.

As Judy rounded the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing what lie just up ahead. There on a park bench, kissing passionately with another animal, was Nick. Judy's eyes filled with tears as she slowly approached the two. In that moment, the female fox sat up, allowing Nick to sit up straight as well. His lips were covered in lipstick, and he was sweating profusely.

"Oh, Brittney," he said.

Suddenly, Nick noticed Judy standing there. Instinctively, he reacted; ashamed of what just happened, he tried to reason with Judy.

"Judy! I swear it's not what it looks like," he said, getting off the bench.

"No. I understand, Nick. You've found someone else. Someone of your own kind."

Judy turned on her heels, and ran away, crying all the while.

"Judy! Wait!" Nick called out. He ran after her, but the rabbit was just too fast for him. "Judy! Judy! Please come back! I'm sorry! Judy I love you, not her!

"Why did you do that?" Nick cried, angrily marching towards Brittney.

"Because I love you, Nick! I want us to be together! I want us to start where we left off," Brittney said.

"Brittney, it's over between us! I love Judy Hopps! Get it through your head!"

Nick left Brittney behind, running as fast as he could in the direction where Judy went. "Judy! Judy!" he called out again and again, hoping she would listen to him. But the rabbit was long gone; away to who knows where, leaving Nick alone. They truly were partners, no more.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! Keep them coming! I love reading them! Things are going to heat up from here on out!**


	12. Richard

Chapter 12:

Richard

* * *

Judy didn't stop running until she was positive that she lost Nick. When she thought that she was in the clear, she ran into a back alleyway, and collapsed on the ground, crying profusely. Just like that, Nick was over her. It hadn't even been a month, and already Nick found someone else; one of his own kind. I shouldn't have gotten angry at him, she thought. This is all my fault. The image of Nick and Brittney kissing passionately on the park bench was burned into her brain. No matter what she did, she couldn't get it out of her head. She could see the way she had her paws wrapped around him; the way their lips met each other with fervor. Maybe she was foolish to think she and Nick could ever be together to begin with. They didn't get off to a positive start when they first met. And it was no secret that Nick couldn't stand her for the longest time. Moreover, their personalities were different. Judy was headstrong, optimistic, and persistent; Nick was a much more laid back, sarcastic animal, even if he did change his con-artist ways. Most importantly, they couldn't ignore the fact that they were both different species. Both of them had made it clear that they didn't care about that, but so many others did. Because of that one fact, they couldn't see each other, and be on the force. They would always face scrutiny from animals who didn't approve of that sort of thing. The worst of these was her parents. Though her parents promised to support whatever choices she made, she could tell that they were apprehensive of her dating Nick. She guessed that some fears never went away. Whatever, it was over now. Nick had found someone else, and the only thing she could do was move on. There was nothing more she could do.

* * *

A week went by, and Judy had returned to her life as a police officer. She wrote speeding tickets, responded to domestic abuse calls, arrested several animals for various crimes, etc. Chief Bogo once again suggested the idea of getting a new partner. Judy turned him down just like the previous times. However, Chief Bogo wasn't going to let her fly solo anymore.

"Officer Hopps, you're going to have a new partner whether you like it or not," he said. He summoned Judy up to his office one morning. When she got inside, she saw a rabbit sitting across from Chief Bogo's desk.

"Officer Hopps, this is Officer Richard Banner. He just transferred from the NYPD. He's going to be your new partner."

"What?" Judy said, stunned at Chief Bogo's announcement.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Richard said, standing up to shake Judy's paw.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Richard, but I'm not looking for a new partner," Judy started to explain.

"Hopps!" Chief Bogo hollered, causing the room to shake a little. "Richard is your new partner. That's final!"

Judy opened her mouth to argue, but she knew that it was pointless. When Chief Bogo made up his mind, it was almost impossible to change it.

Judy sighed. "Fine. I was just about to go on patrol," she said. "Let's go."

"Sounds great! Looking forward to working with you, Officer Hopps," Richard said.

Judy gave a small smile. Truthfully, she felt the exact opposite.

* * *

So the daily patrol with Richard wasn't as terrible as Judy thought it would be. Richard turned out to be a very nice rabbit. It turns out, he had wanted to be a police officer since he was very young. He too also faced doubts from his family about his dream. In the end, he proved them wrong. Once they got off from work, Richard even offered to buy Judy dinner. She turned him down at first, but Richard insisted. Reluctantly, she agreed. The two went to a restaurant in downtown Zootopia that Richard said everyone was raving about.

For a while, they didn't speak much. When the food came, Richard spoke what was on his mind.

"Look, Judy, I realize that you're not too excited about having me as a partner. Chief Bogo told me that you had a close connection to your last partner, and you really didn't want to replace him. I'm really sorry about that. I just want to let you know that if you really don't want me as your partner, I'll step down. I don't want to make you do something your uncomfortable with."

Judy felt terrible. Richard was obviously a very kind, compassionate rabbit, and here she was treating him like he was the plague. How stupid could she get?

"Richard, don't do that. I apologize for my attitude towards you. I was taking out my frustration onto you, and there's no excuse for that. Chief Bogo was just doing what he thinks is best, and he's right. I do need to move on. I'm happy to have you as my partner."

Richard smiled. "Judy, please don't do this on my account."

"No. I'm not. I really want to have you as my partner, Richard. From what I've seen so far, you're an excellent cop. The way you handled that domestic disturbance call this afternoon was awesome. I honestly didn't think we'd ever get those alligators to calm down."

Richard shrugged. "I just have lots of experience with animals. I once broke up a fight between a cat and a dog back in New York."

"That must have been something," Judy said, impressed.

"It was, and let me tell you, it wasn't exactly easy either."

"I'll bet," Judy said, smiling.

For the next hour, Richard and Judy talked freely about themselves. They talked about their families, life as a police officer, favorite movies, etc. It was like they were on a first date.

Judy laughed as Richard finished telling her a hilarious story about the time he and his friends ate an entire batch of carrots that his parents were planning for dinner.

"You should have seen the look on my mother's face when she found the pantry empty," Richard said. "She looked like she was going to cry. It was Thanksgiving too!"

Judy laughed even harder at that revelation. "My parents would be so upset if my siblings and I did that, especially if it was on Thanksgiving."

"Well, everybody makes mistakes," Richard said.

"That is true," Judy agreed. "Listen Richard, this has been a wonderful evening. Thank you so much for dinner."

"No problem, Judy. It's the least I could do."

He paid the bill, and the two left the restaurant. Richard was kind enough to drop Judy back at her apartment before heading home himself.

When she was alone, Judy thought more about Richard. He seemed like a really nice guy; very respectful, kind, compassionate, and a hardworking police officer. She looked forward to getting to know him better; on and off the job.

* * *

 **A/N: Bang! Another cliffhanger! Don't worry, the next chapter will up really soon. I wanted to write this chapter from Judy's POV. Next will be Nick's. After that, it's going to get pretty suspenseful. Thank you all for the reviews! I enjoy reading them very much. Till next time!**


	13. Revelations

Chapter 13:

Revelations

* * *

Judy sure could run fast, faster than he could anyway. After she left the park, Nick chased after her. He went to her apartment, but got no answer. Over the next few days, he left countless messages on her phone; all of which were not responded too. How could Brittney have done that? Just come up to him, and kiss him all over like he was some fashion model or celebrity. She had called him several times in the week since Judy had seen them in the park together. He was polite the first few times, telling her that he really didn't want to speak with her. Eventually, after she called repeatedly, he let her have it by screaming to her over the phone to never contact him again. Since then, he hadn't received any more calls.

Nick began to believe that it was a mistake to quit the force. If he hadn't done that, he and Judy would still be together. After all, that is what set this whole catastrophic train in motion. If he could have five minutes alone with her, then he could explain his side of the story, and in the process apologize for quitting the force. He considered rejoining at one point, but quickly ruled it out. No matter what, Chief Bogo wasn't going to let them date as long as they worked together. As far as Nick was concerned, Judy mattered more to him than his job. Still, there had to be a way to convince Judy that what he did was the right thing. He did it for the sake of their love, not because he wanted too. Nick enjoyed being a police officer. The thrill of serving and protecting the citizens of Zootopia was something that ever got old. It felt so good to give back to the community after years of scamming it. But a great job wasn't worth it if it mean putting the ones you love on the backburner.

* * *

As Nick left his apartment for his job at the movie theater one afternoon, he saw a grey rabbit police officer standing in front of his car, and writing him a ticket. Judy!

Now was his chance to apologize, to make things right. Nick ran down the sidewalk towards his car, calling out to her before she could leave.

"Judy, Judy! Wait I need to talk to you!" he said. Upon reaching his vehicle, Nick was surprised and dismayed to learn that it wasn't Judy who was writing him a ticket. It was a rabbit alright, but a male rabbit.

"Is this your vehicle, sir?" he asked.

"Yes," Nick said, disappointedly.

"You have an expired sticker, sir," the rabbit said, handing Nick his ticket.

Damn. He meant to take it in for inspection the other day, but got sidetracked by a call from Brittney. This ticket was going to be expensive.

"I'm so sorry, Officer. I meant to take it in the other day, but I got caught up in something else," Nick tried to explain.

"Be that as it may, you're required to have your vehicle inspected once a year," he said. "Have a nice day, sir."

Before the rabbit walked away, Nick called out to him.

"Excuse me, officer!"

"Yes," the rabbit turned on his heel in response.

"Do you by any chance know, Officer Judy Hopps?"

The rabbit smiled. "Why yes I do! She's my partner. We've been working together for the past few weeks. I just transferred from New York. My name is Richard. Officer Richard Banner. Nice to meet you."

Nick shook Richard's paw; in shock of the revelation that he was Judy's new partner.

"Nice to meet you too," Nick said, through gritted teeth. "I'm Nick Wilde." He hated the idea of Judy having another partner besides him. Even if he wasn't on the force anymore.

"So how do you know, Judy?" Richard asked.

"I used to work with her," Nick said. "We were partners on the ZPD."

Richard's eyes widened. "Oh really! That's interesting. She never mentioned you. At least not around me."

Nick frowned. She must still be really upset with him.

"Yeah, we worked together for over a year. We were the ones who solved the missing mammals case."

"Wow! I heard all about that! And Judy had just joined the force too at the time!" Richard said.

"Yeah, she's what made me want to become a police officer," Nick confessed.

"I'll tell you, she's something else. Any animal would be lucky to have her," Richard said.

"Yes, they would," Nick said, feeling terrible inside.

"She's definitely one of ZPD's finest, alright. The other officers could learn a thing or two from her."

"Yep, that's Judy," Nick said, already disliking Richard immensely.

"Well, sorry I had to write you a ticket, but the law is the law," Richard said, glumly.

"That's fine. It was my mistake. I should have had it inspected," Nick said, waving him off.

"Alright, well you have a good day now," Richard said, getting back into his squad car.

"Same to you," Nick said, falsely smiling.

As soon as he left, Nick looked at the ticket he'd just received and frowned. "I thought lightning didn't strike twice," he muttered to himself.

As the day went on, Nick's thoughts remained on Richard. He was definitely a charming guy; polite, handsome, intelligent, the kind of man that Judy would love. What was he thinking? They worked together, they couldn't date anyway. And love was probably the last thing on Judy's mind after what she just went through with him.

The line at the movie theatre was busy in the evening. Animals coming in left and right to see the new film "Bears for Hire." Nick worked the concession stand, making popcorn, fixing drinks, and handing out candy to the customers. When he finished serving one customer, he asked the next one what they wanted as he focused on counting the money in his register.

"I'll have a small popcorn, and a large drink," said a familiar voice.

Nick looked up. There in front of him was Judy Hopps. She was wearing a purple T-shirt, and jeans. It was causal, but she looked dashing in it.

"Judy!" Nick cried, forgetting about her order.

"Hello, Nick," Judy said, politely, but friendly.

"Judy, can we talk, please? I have some things I need to say," Nick begged.

"Nick, I really don't want to talk about this. Can I please just have my popcorn, and drink?"

"Judy, I don't want anything to do with Brittney. You're the one I love! Can't you see that? I quit the force so you and I could be together."

"Something wrong, Judy," said a voice from behind her.

Approaching the counter was the same animal Nick met earlier that day. To his horror, Officer Richard Banner was there at the concession stand with Judy.

"Nothing, Richard. I was just telling him my order."

Richard looked at Nick. "Hey, look who it is!" he said, smiling. "I didn't know you worked here, Nick."

Judy's eyes lit up. "You know each other?" she asked.

"We met earlier this afternoon. I unfortunately had to write him a ticket for out of date tags," Richard explained.

"Oh," Judy said, nodding her head.

"So did you place our order?" Richard asked.

"Yes I did," Judy said, looking Nick in the eye.

Nick grabbed the scooper, and began scooping popcorn into a bag. He filled their drink next.

"That'll be $6:75," Nick said, bitterly.

Richard took out his wallet, and handed the money to Nick.

"What would you like, sir?" Nick asked Richard, ready to take his order.

"This will be all, thanks. We're going to share a popcorn and drink," Richard explained. "Come on, Judy, the previews are about to start."

"I've been waiting for months for this movie. It's going to be so good!" Judy said, excitedly.

When they left, Nick asked one of his fellow coworkers to run his register while he went to the restroom. In one of the stalls, he began to cry. She's doing just what we were doing, he thought to himself. She doesn't care that there are rules against officers dating each other. Judy was going to do whatever she wanted; and clearly that meant finding someone else to date.

For the rest of the evening, Nick ran on autopilot. He did his work, but his mind wasn't on the concession stand. It was on Judy, and Richard. It hurt enough that Judy had found someone else to replace him as a partner, but that she found someone else to date was even worse. And most painful of all, she found another rabbit! Someone of her own species!

It's all my fault, he thought to himself. I let her go. I wasn't brave enough to stand my ground, and be with her; even if it meant breaking the rules. Now Judy had somebody else to love. Of all the mistakes he made in his life, this was by far the worst. In fact, Nick wasn't even sure if he was ever going to recover from it.

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, this is a pretty sad chapter. Next one will pick up the pace a little bit, and become more suspenseful. The rating of the story is also being raised to T. There will be more mature content from here on out. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	14. Reconciliation

Chapter 14:

Reconciliation

* * *

Judy began her patrol just as she did every day; driving down streets looking out for any signs of trouble. But even though she was doing her job, her mind wasn't on it. She was thinking about the way she treated Nick last night at the theater. Was she too rude to him? She did blow him off the minute he opened his mouth. Maybe she should have let him explain his side of the story. The look on his face as he pleaded to her; he actually stopped in the middle of his work to talk to her, and she gave him the cold shoulder. Maybe that was a bit harsh.

She was so confused right now. The events of the last few weeks had sent her on a rollercoaster of a ride. And then there was Richard, her new partner on the force. Judy had to admit, he was a nice guy, and a damn good cop. Moreover, she enjoyed spending time with him. He was a very likable guy; one that could certainly entertain anybody. It didn't take a genius to see that he was obviously interested in dating her. He didn't care about the rules against coworkers dating; he really wanted to be with Judy. But as charming as Richard was, Judy didn't feel the same way. She would gladly go out to dinner with him, but she wasn't interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with him. After the recent ordeal with Nick, romance was the last thing on her mind. As Judy turned onto 9th street, she looked to her right, and saw Nick's apartment. Maybe I should stop by and say hi, she thought. Apologize for the way I treated him last night. No. She was working; she had a job to do.

But throughout the day, writing speeding tickets, and responding to distress calls, didn't shake the thought of Nick from her mind. She could still see the pleading look in his eyes as he begged her to allow him a minute to explain himself. But what was there to explain? He was with Brittney now. She saw the two of them kiss. The girl was on him like bees over honey. If he wasn't dating her, and the scene wasn't what it appeared to be, then why were they kissing?

Judy had enough of these unanswered questions. Confounded by guilt over her treatment of Nick, and desperate for an explanation, she decided to go and visit Nick as soon as she got off from work. The two of them had a lot of talking to do.

* * *

 _Nick walked through the open meadow on a gorgeous summer afternoon. There was a cool breeze through the air that felt good as it blew through his fur. There wasn't a cloud in the sky; a sign of a perfect day. As he walked further down the meadow, she saw a figure in the distance. Getting closer, Nick saw who it was standing before him. It was Judy! She was wearing a red sundress, and had a touch of mascara on. She danced around in the fields like a figure skater on ice. The sunlight beaming down from the sky made her violet eyes glow like diamonds. Upon seeing Nick, she stopped moving, and signaled him to come to her with her finger. Nick slowly approached the rabbit; feelings of pure excitement raging within him. When he came face to face with her, the two stared into each other's eyes._

 _"It's such a beautiful day," Judy said._

 _Nick smiled. "Not as beautiful as you, Carrots."_

 _Judy pulled the fox close to her, and kissed him on the lips. Nick picked up Judy in his arms, and fell back onto the grass. The two lay there caught up in the moment of each other. When Judy lifted her head from his lips, she smiled at him; gently placing one of his paws on her stomach._

 _At first Nick didn't understand the gesture, but looking deeper into her eyes he saw the message that she was conveying._

 _"I'm going to be a father," Nick said, in disbelief._

A knock came on the door, awaking Nick from his blissful dream. The red fox walked over the door; upset that whoever it was had ruined such a good dream.

When he opened it, he almost screamed when he saw who was standing there.

Brittney! As Nick was about to tell her to leave, Brittney cut him off.

"Nick, I've come to apologize for my actions," she said.

Nick raised an eyebrow. He honestly wasn't expecting that.

"Can I come in?" she asked, politely.

Nick was reluctant to let her in, especially after she had been calling him relentlessly over the past few weeks. But this didn't seem to be a social call. Brittney seemed like she had something important to say to him; something that didn't involve getting back together. He took a deep breath, and sighed.

"I guess," he said, reluctantly.

Brittney walked inside, and took a seat on the coach. Not wanting her to crawl all over him again, Nick took a seat on the other side of the coffee table.

"So what do you want?" he asked, gruffly.

"Nick, I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I realize now that what I did to you was wrong. You made it clear that you were no longer interested in me, and yet I still continued to pester you, hoping there was some chance that we could be together. I see now that that is not the case. This girl Judy…"

Nick's interest immediately went up. "What about her?" he asked.

"I can see that you care a lot about her. I can see that you…love her," Brittney said, sadly. Nick could tell that this was hard for her, but it was something that she knew she had to do.

"What you and I had once is long gone. The spark that we once had has burned out. I know we've had our differences. A year ago you were just a low-life con-artist making his way in life by scamming others. I couldn't take it anymore, so I left. And then all of a sudden, you're this bigshot cop. I knew then that you had changed your life around, and were no longer the animal you once were. I wanted to rekindle what we had then, but I was too blind to see that that ship had set sail."

"I am truly sorry for all the grief I've put you through in these past few weeks, Nick. This is your life, and you have made your choice. I can see how happy Judy makes you. And if there's one thing I know, it's that if you really love someone, you'd want them to be happy, even if it's with someone else.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me, Nick. I just want you to know how sorry I am."

Nick was at a loss for words. When he first saw Brittney at the door, he expected her to make another attempt to get back together with him, but what he got was far from that. In a sense, he basically got his ex-girlfriend's blessing to be with Judy. Brittney had wised up, and saw the error in her ways. If that wasn't a turnaround, then he didn't know what was.

Nick kindly thanked Brittney for coming over, and accepted her apology. The two agreed to remain as friends, both believing that there was no point in holding a grudge.

Nick saw her to the door as she left.

"Thanks again, Brittney," he said, handing her purse to her. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You're welcome, Nick. I wish you and Judy all the happiness in the world."

Nick smiled. "Thanks. You take care now."

"You too," Brittney said, giving him a wave before walking away.

A few minutes after she left, Nick sat on the coach thinking about what just happened. His ex-girlfriend was actually comfortable with him dating Judy. Well, what was he waiting for? He had to find Judy! He had to tell her how much he loved her! They could worry about the whole quitting the force thing later. Right now, all that mattered was that he explained to her everything that had happened in the past few weeks, and how they should get back together.

Nick hopped into his car, and sped to Judy's apartment complex. She'd write me a ticket for sure if she saw he driving this fast, the thought to himself.

Nick parked his car outside the building. He swung open the door to the apartment complex, and ran up the stairs. As he rounded the next corner, he was met with a familiar set of violet eyes.

"Nick!" Judy said, meeting him at the top of the stairs.

"Judy! There's something I have to tell you!"

"There's something I have to tell you as well!" Judy said.

"Ok. Sure. Would you like to talk about it over a cup of coffee?" Nick offered.

Judy smiled. "I'd like that."

* * *

 **A/N: The first step in reconciliation has been made. Their talk will be included in the next chapter. I was going to introduce more action into this chapter, but I decided to make it focus on Nick and Judy's relationship instead. Next chapter however, is where the suspense will begin, I promise.**

 **Please Review! I love reading what you all have to say! You guys rock!**

 **PS: Would you like to see more Nick and Judy fluff in upcoming chapters? Let me know.**


	15. A Killer on the Loose

Chapter 15:

A Killer on the Loose

* * *

Nick and Judy went to the café where they used to go to all the time when they both were on the force. Nick happily paid for both of their drinks; including any snacks that Judy wanted. As soon as they sat down at one of the tables, there was a moment of silence between them. They were trying to figure out what to say to each other; how exactly to get their feelings out on the table. Eventually, Judy was the one who spoke first.

"Nick, I realize that I've been pretty cold to you these past few weeks," she said. "Ever since I saw you at the park with Brittney, I've been trying to distance myself as much as possible from you. The other day at the theater, you tried to explain something to me, and I blew you off. I'm sorry about that. I'm here to listen to what you have to say. I myself have some things I need to get off my chest."

Nick took a deep breath, thinking on how to best proceed with the situation at hand. "Judy, what you saw between me and Brittney was not what it looked like. Brittney came up to me at the park, and told me she wanted to get back together. Though I refused, she still persisted, and before I knew it, she was kissing me. That's when you happened to walk by."

Judy nodded, taking a sip of her coffee.

"I swear it's the truth, Judy. I don't feel anything for Brittney. I did once long ago, but not anymore. You're the one I want to be with," Nick said, earnestly.

"I thought more about what you did in quitting the force," Judy began. "I have to say that as disappointed as I am that you're no longer my partner, I'll admit I overreacted. I thought that what you did was selfish. Never once did I consider that you actually did it for me. You tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen. I was stubborn, and foolish. I believed that we could truly make it work between us as long as we kept our relationship secret. Now I realize that that was just an unrealistic dream."

She reached out to put a paw on Nick's arm. "I see now that you were willing to give up your job just so you could be with me. In addition, you also allowed me to keep mine. You knew how passionate I am about being a police officer. If that's not selfless, than I don't know what is."

"So does this mean we're back together?" Nick asked. The inevitable question; the one that was burning on both their minds.

Judy took another sip of her coffee, and smiled. "I guess it does."

Nick smiled in return, but then remembered something else. "What about me no longer being on the force? Are you still mad at me for that?"

Judy shook her head. "No. I realize that you did what you had to do. As much as I wish you were still my partner, I rather us be able to be together without having to worry about the consequences if we were caught."

Nick could see the sincerity in Judy's eyes. She meant every word. Though he could tell it pained her that they couldn't work together, and still be a couple, he understood. If only there was some way he could reverse the rules. He and Judy had an inseparable bond, on and off the force. Was there a way for Chief Bogo to see that?

Suddenly, Judy's handheld radio went off. "Dispatch, this is Officer Banner, we have a 187 in Central Park. Requesting any available units as well as the paramedics, over."

"Officer Banner, this is Officer Hopps, I'm on my way," Judy said into her radio.

A 187. Both Nick and Judy knew what that meant, and it wasn't good. 187 was police code for murder. It would appear that a murder had taken place in central park. Judy stood up, and pushed her chair in. "Sorry to cut our coffee break on such short notice, but duty calls," she said.

"I understand. This sounds pretty serious. Let me know how it turns out," Nick said.

"Will do."

Before leaving, Judy walked over, and kissed Nick on the cheek. "Take care of yourself, you dumb fox."

"Same to you, sly bunny," Nick replied. After she left, Nick sat back down to enjoy the rest of his coffee. "God I love that woman," he said to himself.

* * *

When Judy arrived at the scene, there dozens of police cars nearby. She walked over to Richard who stood across the yellow police tape observing the scene.

"What's going on?" she asked, watching as two otters lifted a sheet-covered body onto a gurney.

"There's been a double homicide," Richard said. "A cat and a dog. Both were found stabbed to death under a bridge."

"How awful," Judy said. "Do we know who they are?"

"Yes. Their IDs say that they are Michael Bone, and Cynthia Catberry. The families have been notified as well.

Judy couldn't imagine the pain both families must be feeling at the moment. To lose a loved one was bad enough, but to love them to violence was even worse.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

Richard shook his head. "We're just wrapping up here now. When we get back to HQ we're going to put out a news wide bulletin asking anybody to come forward if they have any information regarding the case."

Judy nodded. She wanted whoever did this to be caught, and brought to justice. How could someone murder two innocent animals?

In the days that followed, Judy learned that Michael and Cynthia had been dating at the time of the murder. According to friends, they were last seen leaving a party on the lower east side of Zootopia. A few hours later, they were dead. A press conference was held where Chief Bogo asked if anyone had any information regarding the murder to come forward. However, a few days had passed, and still they didn't have any leads.

Tragedy struck again when the bodies of a raccoon and a squirrel were found in an alleyway just five miles from Central Park. Like Michael and Cynthia, both victims had been stabbed to death. A background check into the two newly deceased revealed that they were also a couple in a committed relationship. The rest of the police force didn't think this was special; they merely wrote it off as a coincidence, but Judy wasn't so sure.

A few days later, two more bodies were found. The body of a monkey and a tiger were found in Central Park; only a few feet from where Michael and Cynthia's bodies were found. The method of homicide was the same as the previous murders: stabbed to death. In addition, they too were dating at the time of their deaths. After the discovery of new bodies, the ZPD kicked their investigation into high gear; interviewing anyone who might have some information regarding the murders. At the scene of the last crime, the killer had left behind a bloody paw print. They checked the national database to see if it matched any known convicted criminals, however, there were no matches. Finally, a witness came forward saying he say something suspicions on the night of the murder of the monkey and tiger. The witness, who preferred to remain anonymous, said he saw a small mammal walking out of the park late one evening wearing a jacket with a hood. He was across the street at the time, and couldn't tell what kind of animal the suspect was, but he was able to see traces of what looked like blood on the suspect's coat when he walked under a streetlight.

No one on the force had been more dedicated to solving these murders than Judy. Every day, she searched left and right; returning to all of the crime scenes looking for any clues might have been missed, reviewing autopsy reports, and interviewing many animals. She noticed a striking similarity in all of all murders; one that was initially written off in the beginning.

All of the victims had been couples; interspecies couples. The cat and the dog, the raccoon and the squirrel, and the monkey and the tiger! Whoever the killer was, he seemed to be targeting interspecies couples. Judy presented her findings to Chief Bogo, who too agreed with the pattern. He advised Judy and the rest of the ZPD to be more alert than ever during their patrols, especially if they see two animals of a different species together.

The recent murders made Judy think about her relationship with Nick. Were they in danger too? Since they had gotten back together, they had gone on a couple of dates. Judy even slept over at his apartment one night. With their relationship out in the open, they could be exposing themselves to the killer. To protect herself, Judy bought a 9MM pistol. On the force they only used tranquilizer guns, but Judy felt much safer with a weapon that could truly defend her if she needed it too. On and off the force, she kept it on her, ready for action that might happen. There was a killer on the loose in Zootopia, and no one, especially interspecies couples was safe until he was off the streets, and behind bars.

* * *

 **A/N: I thought I'd treat you guys by uploading a new chapter soon after the last one. As promised, this is where the suspense is starting to build. It will continue into next chapter. I've also got a special fluffy moment for Nick and Judy in store as well.**

 **Please Review!**


	16. Happy Birthday, Nick!

Chapter 16:

Happy Birthday, Nick

* * *

In the weeks that followed, several more bodies were found. All of them were of couples in an interspecies relationship. Chief Bogo informed the entire squad at a meeting that everyone was going to be taking extra patrols. He wanted to as much of Zootopia covered as possible while the killer was still out there. When she wasn't searching for the sadistic killer dwelling in their midst, Judy spent every moment with Nick. Their relationship had never been better. They visited Judy's family in Bunnyburrow, who were only too happy to have their daughter home. They had heard all about the murders, and were concerned for her safety, especially since she was in a committed relationship with Nick who wasn't the same species as her. Judy assured them that she was on high alert at all times, and truly believed that the killer would be caught soon. Eventually, he would make a mistake; one that would lead the police right to him.

Though he didn't say it, Nick was also concerned for Judy's safety. This killer was obviously someone of the utmost depravity; an animal that had a deep hatred for interspecies couples. He had no idea why someone could harm another animal like this, but whatever the reason, it was no excuse for his despicable actions. He was probably a large animal; someone who Judy was no match for. He had talked to Richard several times, and asked him to be on the lookout for her. The newly appointed officer from New York assured him that he would protect Judy at all costs. Richard even agreed to make sure that Judy made it home OK after work.

Since they got back together, Nick and Judy hadn't talked about Nick rejoining the force. In all honesty, the two were just focusing on rebuilding their relationship. The thought crossed Nick's mind one day at the theater as he was handing out popcorn to the customers. With the serial killer on the loose, Chief Bogo would probably be even more against it. Then again, maybe it could be used to their advantage. They could go undercover and when they killer struck, they would arrest him. No. That was a crazy idea. He would be putting Judy's life in danger by doing that. The poor guy was already worried about her enough during the day as it was. If something went wrong, and Judy was hurt, he'd never forgive himself.

But in the midst of this reign of terror, Nick and Judy tried their best to remain a happy couple.

* * *

One afternoon after Nick got off of work, Judy met him outside the theater. She told him that she had something that she wanted to show him. She made him put a blindfold on as she led him back to her apartment.

"Can I take this off now?" Nick asked, desperately wanting to see again.

"Almost. Just one more minute," Judy said.

"Alright," Nick agreed.

"Now you can take it off!"

Nick removed the blindfold, and gasped at the sight before him.

There in front of him was Judy holding a carrot cake with candles.

"Happy birthday, Nick!" she exclaimed.

"Wow!" Nick said. "Thank you so much, Carrots!"

"I baked it myself. I got the recipe from my mom. Come on, blow out the candles, and make a wish!"

Judy placed the cake on the table, and Nick walked toward it. Taking a deep breath, he blew the candles out.

"This looks delicious," he said, hungrily.

"Well, dig in!" Judy said. "Here let me cut you off a slice."

As soon as Nick tasted the cake, he moaned in delight. "This is delicious," he said. "My compliments to the chef."

Judy blushed. "Thanks. But my mom makes it better."

"I think it's just fine," Nick said, smiling.

"Ooh! I almost forgot about your present," Judy said, getting up from the table, and retrieving a small box from the kitchen.

"Wow! Cake and a present? I must be a lucky fox," Nick said.

Judy handed him the box, and Nick opened it. Inside was a carrot pen; the same kind that Judy had.

"I thought you might like to have one of your own, since you're always using mine," Judy said, referring to Nick often asked her if he could borrow her pen. "It's got the same recording function, and everything."

Nick pressed the button, and spoke. "I love it, Carrots." He then played the recording back again.

"I'm glad. Happy birthday, Nick!"

"Thank you, Judy."

"You're welcome, Nick."

"Now I just need to do something special for your birthday," he said.

"You don't have to do that," Judy said, waving him off.

"No. I want too. You mean a lot to me, and I want to show it," Nick said.

Judy blushed, cupping Nick's chin in her paws, and giving him a kiss on the lips. "My dumb fox," she said.

Nick smiled. "And my sly bunny."

The two fell back onto the coach, resuming their affectionate exchanges. Out of the corner of her eye, Judy saw a shadow move past the window. She sat up; looking concerned.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked.

"I thought I saw something," Judy explained. "It was probably nothing."

"Yeah, probably," Nick said, looking at the window. He couldn't shake the growing sense of fear lingering within him.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter was dedicated to Nick and Judy fluff. Next chapter will resume the case. The suspense will return!**


	17. Danger Close

Chapter 17:

Danger Close

* * *

Judy almost fell out of bed when she heard the phone ring. She answered it, wondering who on Earth could be calling her at 3:00 in the morning.

"Hello," she said, groggily.

"Judy, its Richard. I need you to come down to the Piller River as soon as possible. We have another murder on our paws."

"What?" Judy exclaimed. The revelation instantly woke her up. "Not another one. I'll be right there."

Judy got dressed in her uniform, and sped off for the Piller River. When she arrived, she saw the paramedics bringing out two bodies on a stretcher.

"What happened?" she asked, walking up to Richard.

"Two more bodies. One turtle and an opossum. No idea if they're a couple or not, but I'd bet my money on it that they were."

Judy tried to maintain her composure. This was getting way out of hand. Over ten animals had been killed so far, how many more had to die before they caught this bastard? Once the crime scene was secured, and the rest of the police had left, Judy stuck around to see if there might have been anything they missed.

She walked over to the same spot where the bodies were found. There was still a tiny bit of dried blood left on the sidewalk, but little else. Over to her right, she saw where some grass had been disturbed. It looked as if the turtle or the opossum had fought a fierce battle with the killer. Judy knelt down close to the grass where she saw traces of what looked like fur. It was too small to determine what kind of fur it was, but it looked important nonetheless. Judy ran back to her car, and removed a plastic bag, and a pair of tweezers from it. Since the last murder, she had brought along what she called a forensic kit in case she discovered anything like this. However, so far the killer was careful not to leave any evidence behind. This time, the killer might have made a mistake. This strand of fur could belong to him. After retrieving the sample, she went back to the ZPD, and turned it into the forensics lab. The doctor in charge told her it would take a little while until they could obtain a DNA sample from the strand of fur. He promised her that they would let her know as soon as the results were in. Meanwhile, Judy decided to shake off her daily duties and focus on the murder case. She knew that they had very little to go on, but perhaps there was something they missed. Judy remembered there had been a witness on the night of the murder of the monkey and the tiger. Perhaps she might know something that she forgot to tell the police. At the time, the witness preferred to remain anonymous, but the police had kept his name on file.

Judy visited the home of the animal that saw something suspicious. His name was Tyler Anderson, a dog, and he lived only ten minutes away from where the monkey and the tiger were killed.

When Judy knocked on the door, it was almost 8:00, night time would be here soon. The door opened, and Tyler stepped outside.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Mr. Anderson, I'm Officer Hopps, and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions," she said.

The dog sighed. "Look, I've told you everything I know already," he said.

"I know. I just want to confirm a couple of things," Judy explained. "Is that alright?"

Tyler nodded. "Ok. Come in. I'll help you anyway I can."

Tyler led Judy into the parlor where he offered to get her anything to drink. After fetching her a glass of water, Judy began her questioning.

"What exactly did you see on the night of the murders?"

"Well, I was walking home from a party at my friend's house. When I came around the corner just across the street from Central Park, I heard a roar, like some kind of tiger or lion. It scared me so much that I stopped dead in my tracks. A few seconds later I heard another cry; this one wasn't as loud as the last one, but it was still just as freighting. Both screams sounded absolutely terrifying. I wanted to run, and see what the matter was, but I was too afraid. Before I knew it, I saw a hooded figure exit the park.

"How big would you say it was?" Judy asked.

"I don't know exactly. It was small; it couldn't have been bigger than a warthog. Anyway, it was too dark for me to see its face. It looked to its left and right, and then walked away down the sidewalk.

"Is there anything else? Anything that you neglected to tell the police the first time?" Judy asked, eager to hear any new information.

"Well, there was one thing I forgot to mention. When I came home that night, I accidently bumped into a girl on the stairwell. She looked like she was in a hurry. But that's not what caught my attention. Her face was covered in scratches like she had been in a fight of some sort. It looked pretty bad to be honest.

"Do you know this girl?"

"Not really. She lives in the same apartment complex as I do, but I don't know her name. I see her every now and then though."

"Where in the building does she live?"

"Fifth floor, room 512," Tyler answered.

"Thank you. If you have anything else that you remember, call me at this number," Judy said, giving Tyler one of her business cards.

"Ok. Thank you, Officer Hopps. I hope you find whoever did this, and bring them to justice," Tyler said.

"Thank you, Tyler. I do as well."

As soon as Judy left Tyler's apartment, she went upstairs to the fifth floor to question the girl that Tyler had seen with scratches on her face. When she knocked on the door, no one answered.

Must not be home at the moment, Judy thought. But when would she return? Judy couldn't wait around forever. She needed answers now, and this girl might have what they need to find the killer. It was against protocol, and Chief Bogo would skin her alive if he found out that she did it, but Judy just couldn't wait any longer.

She took a lock pick out from her pocket, and slowly picked the lock to the door. After a few minutes, it unlocked, allowing her access to the apartment. By now it had grown dark, and there was no light coming in through the windows. She could have turned on the lights in the apartment, but she didn't want to give any indication that she was there, especially if the girl returned home soon. Taking out her flashlight, Judy scanned her surroundings. At first glance, it looked like just an ordinary apartment. There was a living room with a TV, and coffee table, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. On the walls were pictures of what Judy assumed were the girl's family. There were a lot of foxes in the picture, making her assume that the girl who lived there was also a fox. Judy shined her light into the bedroom. On the dresser, she found a makeup kit, which appeared to have been used recently. A closer examination led her to a small box on the table. Holding the flashlight in one hand, Judy opened the box with the other. She was expecting to see jewelry of some sort, but instead found something much more alarming. It was a knife with a long serrated blade. Judy picked up the knife, and examined it closer under the flashlight. It was much larger than your standard pocket knife; this one looked like something that would be used by the military. Why would a civilian need this?

Judy placed the knife back into the box, and continued to search the apartment. She opened drawers, which contained clothes, looked under the bed which revealed nothing, and finally opened the closet, only to come up empty handed as well. As she was about the leave the room, Judy noticed one drawer that she didn't open. It was a drawer on the dressing room table. Opening the drawer, Judy found a file containing several documents.

The documents were from Zootopia Psychiatric Facility, a well-known mental hospital in the city. The documents were medical reports detailing a particular patient's history. At the bottom of one of them, there was a note.

 _Patient continues to show signs of disturbance. She is easily agitated, and prone to violence. Mood swings unpredictable. Going to recommend to the doctor that she receives more shock therapy. In the meantime, the patient should be kept away from the other patients. She is mentally unstable, and extremely violent._

Judy looked for the name of the patient mentioned in the note, but strangely it was crossed out. On every document, on the top of the paper where the patient's name would be displayed was crossed out with a black permanent marker. It was as if someone didn't want anyone to find the identity of this particular animal.

Judy put the file back into the drawer, and continued to search the apartment. In another room, she saw newspaper articles posted all over the walls. Upon closer examination of them, she saw that they were articles about the recent murders. In fact, every single one of them was about the murders. Whoever lived here clearly had a fascinating with this case. Judy walked into the living room, and examined the coffee table. On it, she found a book lying in plain sight.

She opened it, and found that it was a journal. Skimming through the pages, she read entries about what the animal did that day, her favorite foods, clothes, some boy that she was crushing on, etc. There didn't seem to be any worthwhile information. Suddenly, something fell out of the journal, and onto the floor. Judy picked it up, and looked at it. It was a picture of her and Nick, taken when they solved the missing mammal's case. However, someone had drawn a large red X over her face. In fact, the entire picture of her had been scribbled on. Flipping further through the journal, her eyes caught onto an entry dated the day of the murder of the monkey and tiger. It said:

 _August 24th, Friday—Killed another interspecies couple today: a monkey and a tiger. I thought the tiger would be difficult to kill, but one slash to his throat was all it took. Another job well done._

Judy dropped the journal. It was abundantly clear that she was in the killer's house. The journal confirmed that whoever wrote that entry, had killed the couple. Without wasting another minute, she pulled out her cellphone, and called Nick.

"Nick, listen to me, I think I've found the killer. She lives on West End Third Street…."

But before she could finish her sentence, a heavy blow came down on Judy's head, knocking her out instantly. The phone fell from her paw, and scattered a few feet away.

The perpetrator quietly picked up the phone, and ended the call.

* * *

 **AN: The suspense continues! Hopefully you all have deduced who the killer is, but if not, next chapter will confirm it for sure.**

 **Please Review!**


	18. Wilde to the Rescue

Chapter 18:

Wilde to the Rescue

* * *

When Nick checked his cell phone early the next morning, he noticed that he had one new voicemail. He was surprised to learn that whoever called him called really late at night. As soon as the message played, he recognized Judy's voice on the other end. She sounded really frantic.

"Nick, listen to me, I think I've found the killer. She lives on West End Third Street—

The next sounds he heard were a loud thud, and the sound of the call being ended. It was strange. The tone of Judy's voice sounded like she was excited about whatever she found. Did she really find the killer? If so, why did she cut off all of a sudden? No. Judy didn't cut off on her own accord. She didn't even get to finish her sentence. Something prevented her from doing so, and she was silent afterwards. Nick started to think about it more, eventually coming to the awful realization that the killer may have gotten Judy!

Without wasting a second, he made a beeline for the door, and swung it open. On the floor in front of his apartment door was a tape recorder, resting quietly.

The sight of such a random object caught Nick's attention. Even more telling, there was a note attached to it that said: Listen, and heed my instructions.

Nick picked up the tape recorder, and pressed play. What he heard next was chilling.

"Nickie dear, you really should teach your girlfriend some manners. It isn't polite to break into someone's house when they're not home. Not to mention she's a cop as well! Well, according to the law I have the right to use self-defense in the case of an intruder, which is exactly what I did. By now you've probably gotten the little bunny's message about her finding the killer. Yes, she found out alright, and I'm afraid there are consequences for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. Oh, look she's waking up now. Judy, would you like to say hi to Nick?"

There was just a moaning sound coming from the receiver, but the voice was unmistakably Judy's.

"Oh, you're too disorientated. Well, don't worry, Judy, I'll be sure to say hi to him for you. That's right, Nick. I have her. And if you want to see her come out of this treacherous ordeal alive, you'll meet me tonight at the old warehouse on 13th street at midnight. We need to have a little chat. Don't even think about bringing any backup. If you tell the cops, I'll kill her, I promise you that. Bye for now, Nick. I look forward to talking with you this evening."

The tape ended.

Brittney. Brittney was the killer! She was the one who had killed all those interspecies couples! But why? Was she jealous of him and Judy being together? Whatever the reason, it didn't matter now. He had to save Judy, and had he had to do it according to Brittney's wishes if he wanted to do so.

Nick knew that Brittney said not to tell the cops, but he wasn't going to risk going in completely alone. He needed at least one other animal there with him in case things got ugly. After hearing the tape, he contacted Richard, and explained the situation.

"Oh my God, we got to go now!" he said.

"No. She said to meet her at the old warehouse on 13th street at midnight. We'll go then. But when we do, I want you to let me take care of it.

"Then why do you want me to come along? To carry out your bodies after she's killed you guys!" Richard asked, in disbelief.

"No. I need you as backup. I'm going to go inside, and try to reason with her. If I don't come back in ten minutes, come in and assist with the situation."

"Ten minutes? What if you're dead by then?" Richard asked.

"Don't worry. Brittney may be nuts, but she's not going to harm me," Nick answered.

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"Because she still loves me."

* * *

Nick and Richard arrived at the warehouse a quarter to midnight. Both of them brought their 9mm pistols along in case they needed to defend themselves. Nick instructed Richard to wait in the car, and follow his plan from earlier.

Richard reluctantly agreed, but still insisted upon going inside with him. Nick once again refused, and set off into the warehouse. The latch was unlocked, so getting inside didn't prove to be a problem.

Once inside, Nick drew his gun, and kept it out in case of any surprise's Brittney might have in store.

"Brittney! I'm here! Let's talk!" he called out.

Nick walked through the dark, creepy abandoned warehouse, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of Judy or the deranged fox.

When he turned around a corner, he saw a light at the far end of the building. Following it, he came upon a startling, but somewhat relielving sight. Judy was sitting in the middle of the room, gagged, and tied to a chair. She had several cuts, and bruises on her face. Brittney must have been torturing her earlier.

"Judy!" Nick called out.

The young rabbit looked up, and her eyes grew wide when she saw Nick running towards her. She tried to talk, but the gag only muffled her speech.

Nick took the gag out of her mouth to hear her more clearly.

"Nick, thank God you're here! She's crazy!"

"Relax, I'm going to get you out of here!" Nick promised, beginning to undo the knots that tied her to the chair.

"Brittney is dangerous, Nick! She killed all those animals!" Judy cried.

"I know, but don't you worry, we're going to arrest her, and put her behind bars," Nick vowed.

"I don't think I'd like a life in a padded cell," said a voice from behind them.

Nick turned around, and came face to face with Brittney who had a gun pointed at him.

"Nice of you to make it, Nick," she said smiling. "Give me your gun."

Nick begrudgingly handed over his gun to his ex-girlfriend, already terrified of what was coming next.

"I take it you've already deduced that I am the killer?" she asked.

"I have," Nick said calmly.

"Yes, I have to admit killing all those couples was quite the adrenaline rush. And it was so satisfying to see the light leave their eyes after I killed them. Of course, all those murders we're nothing compared to the joy I'm going to get from killing the woman you love."

"Brittney, listen to me, you don't have to do this," Nick said.

"Oh, but I do, Nick. You see, you broke my heart, tore it into a thousand pieces. To make things worse, you rejected me for a woman who's not even the same species as you! How disgusting is that?"

"I didn't reject you, Brittney. We were already broken up. I moved on, and found someone else. That's all," Nick tried to explain.

"Bullshit!" Brittney yelled, firing a shot at Nick's feet.

Nick jumped back in shock; his heart racing like a jet. "Brittney, take it easy," he said, slowly.

"Don't tell me what to do, Nick! You've made your choice, and now you must suffer the consequences of your actions!"

Brittney pointed the gun toward Judy, ready to fire. Nick ran in front of her, waving his arms frantically.

"Brittney, don't do this!" he said. "It's me your mad at! If you're going to shoot someone, shoot me! Don't hurt, Judy!"

"Sorry, Nick, but I think this is a more suiting punishment!"

Before Brittney could pull the trigger, a gunshot rang out. Brittney let out a loud cry, and dropped her own gun.

Nick looked at her, and saw a large bullet hole in her shoulder. From out of the shadows, Richard appeared with his own gun drawn.

"I told you that you should have let me come in with you," he said to Nick.

Clearly outmatched, Brittney took off running through the warehouse. "Stop her!" Richard called out.

"I'll get her," Judy said, grabbing the gun that Brittney dropped. "I'm a cop. It's my job.

"No, Judy, you can't it's too dangerous. She's unstable," Nick said.

"I'll be fine, Nick. Just go call the police," Judy said, giving him a kiss on the lips. "I love you."

Nick wanted to argue, but he just couldn't find the words to do so. "I love you too, Carrots," he said with a smile.

"Go!" Judy said, before taking off after Brittney.

"Come on. Let's go get the rest of the unit here," Richard said.

Nick nodded; taking one last look at Judy running off after Brittney. "Go get her, Carrots," he said.

* * *

 **A/N: Now begins the final confrontation between Judy and Brittney. It will be epic! Also, I was thinking about wrapping this story up after the next chapter, but I do have some ideas that I could use to continue it if you like. Once again, I ask your opinion. Do you want me to continue? Let me know in the reviews. Thank you!**


	19. Fox vs Rabbit

Chapter 18:

Fox vs. Rabbit

* * *

Judy ran after Brittney; gripping her gun tight within her paws. She knew that the deadly fox could be anywhere in the warehouse, and could strike at any minute. As she walked past more empty crates, she heard the sound of footsteps. Turning around, she saw Brittney dart past more crates to the other side of the building. Judy fired a warning shot, hoping that it would show Brittney that she was serious about using lethal force if necessary. For a while, there was no sound. Judy walked to where she last saw Brittney, holding her gun out in front of her. However, when she rounded the corner, there was no one in sight. Where could she have gone? She thought.

Suddenly, Judy felt a hard smack on the back of her head. The force was sufficient enough to cause her to fall down onto the floor, dropping her gun in the process. Out of the shadows, Brittney came out staring menacingly at Judy. The young rabbit reached out for her gun, but the fox grabbed it before she did. Brittney aimed the gun at Judy's head; smiling wickedly.

"Looks like you're going to die in the line of duty," she said.

Judy stared down the barrel of the gun, paralyzed with fear. This was it. There was nothing she could do. She was really going to die.

Brittney wrapped her finger around the trigger, and pulled it tightly, only to hear a clicking sound. The gun was out of ammo.

"What? Son of a bitch, not now!" Brittney cried, taking out the magazine to confirm what she feared.

With the gun out of ammo, Judy had no reason to worry about Brittney shooting her. She hopped to her feat, and pounced onto her. For a small mammal, Judy put up a hell of a fight, sending punch after punch at Brittney.

"It's over, Brittney! Give up now!"

"Over my dead body," Brittney hissed. She clawed at Judy's face, causing her to tumble backward. Brittney took the chance to get back onto her feet, and pulled a knife out from her pocket.

"I'm going to gut you just like I did all those other animals!" she cried.

Judy took a fighting stance. She could see that there was no reasoning with Brittney. There was no choice, but to fight.

"Bring it, bitch!" Judy hollered back.

Brittney lunged toward Judy with the knife. Judy grabbed her arm with one hand, and delivered a punch to the gut with the other. The blow temporarily set Brittney off-guard, but the fox was back at it, swinging the knife left, and right at Judy. Judy dodged each attack, looking for the moment where she could counterattack. When the opportunity presented itself, Judy lunged forward, throwing several more punches at Brittney's face. When she moved in for another punch, Brittney grabbed her by the arm, and threw her to the ground. Pinning her down with her foot, Brittney tried to slice Judy's throat with her knife. But the rabbit was quick, and kicked her in the stomach as hard as she can, sending her falling onto the ground. Judy got back up; once again in fighting stance. She had to get the knife away from Brittney. If she did, then she would have the advantage on her. But before she could make her next move, Brittney pounced onto Judy, this time pinning her to the ground even harder by kneeling on top of her with all her weight. She rammed the knife towards Judy's head as hard as she could, but Judy was able to catch her arm, preventing the knife from reaching her.

"This might hurt a little," Brittney said, wickedly.

Judy pushed back on Brittney's arm as the knife drew closer and closer to her face. Brittney was surprisingly strong. The knife came closer and closer to her throat; Judy used all her strength to try and push the knife away, but it was just too much. Brittney was obviously stronger than her. Suddenly, she heard a several gunshots ring out. Brittney's strength weakened as Judy saw her eyes grow wide. Brittney looked down at her chest, and saw several bullet wounds, gushing blood. Brittney gasped for air, dropping the knife at the same time. Finally, she fell backwards onto the floor, dead as a doornail.

Judy sat up, and there she saw Nick standing in front of her, with his gun drawn.

"That'll teach her to bring a knife to a gunfight," he said.

He put his gun back into his holster, and ran over to Judy. "Are you alright?" he said, wrapping his arms around her.

Judy sighed, relieved that it was finally over. "Yeah, I'm OK," she said. It saddened her that Brittney was killed, but if Nick hadn't shown up, she would have died for sure. It was murder that involved killing an animal to save another. As messy as it was, it was a necessary evil. Judy and Nick walked out of the warehouse, holding hands. Both didn't say a word until they reached the line of squad cars that awaited them.

Upon seeing the two unharmed, Richard let out a cry of relief. "Thank goodness you two are alright," he said. "Where's Brittney?"

"Dead," Nick said, bluntly. "I shot her when she tried to kill Judy."

Chief Bogo stood beside Richard, listening to Nick's report. "Well, Wilde I'm impressed. Not only did you manage to take down a serial killer, but you also saved one of ZPD's finest in the process. Well done. We could use skills like yours on the force. You should really consider rejoining."

Nick looked at Judy. She gave him a small smile that told him exactly what she was thinking, and he had to agree.

"Chief Bogo, I've given it a thought, and I have to say that I would be happy to rejoin the force," he said.

"Excellent! Tomorrow morning report to my office and pick up your badge and gun, and then we'll….

"On one condition," Nick interrupted.

"Of course," Chief Bogo said. He'd do anything to have Nick back on the force.

"You eliminate the rule preventing coworkers from dating, and allow Judy and I to be a couple," he said firmly.

There was a long awkward silence that followed. The officers around them looked at Chief Bogo, unsure of how he would respond, but eager to hear it nonetheless.

The chief of police looked at Nick and Judy; the two had their arms wrapped around each other lovingly. Judy had her head rested on Nick's shoulder as she gazed up at the buffalo. Those two had done more for the ZPD than anyone else on the force. If it weren't for them, they would have never solved the missing mammal case or defeated Brittney. For a long time, Chief Bogo suspected that Nick and Judy had a thing going on, but he didn't have any evidence to step in and say something about it. Truthfully, he'd be lying if he said they didn't make a cute couple. They suited each other, not just as partners, but as friends as well. He grew up being taught that interspecies couples were wrong, but in recent years he had seen more and more of it. A part of him was against the idea; seeing it was being against nature. But looking at Nick and Judy, he could see a couple who truly loved each other. So much so, that they were even to put themselves in danger to save each other. If that wasn't love, then he didn't know what was.

"Officer Hopps, Officer Wilde," he began.

Nick and Judy looked at the chief, eager to hear his response.

"You have my blessing. You are free to continue your relationship."

Letting out a loud cry of joy, Nick picked up Judy, and spun her around. The young bunny laughed in delight; she too was overjoyed at Chief's Bogo's approval. After a couple of spins, Nick brought her down to kiss her passionately on the lips.

"Welcome back to the force, Officer Wilde," Judy said, smiling.

"Carrots, I never left," Nick said.

* * *

 **A/N: And our couple is official! What's in store for them next? I have a couple of ideas that I think you're going to like! Lots of Nick and Judy fluff involved as well! Stay tuned!**


	20. Mr Wilde

Chapter 20:

Mr. Wilde

* * *

In the weeks following Brittney's death, Nick had gotten himself accustomed to being back on the force. His first day back was met with overwhelmingly applause. They applauded him for taking Brittney down, and taking a sadistic serial killer off the streets of Zootopia. "Zootopia is a better place because of you," they told him. While Nick knew that it was a good thing that Brittney was gone, he couldn't help but feeling guilty for killing her. He knew he had no choice. If he hadn't have shot her when he did, she would have killed Judy. But killing another animal, especially his ex-girlfriend was just unsettling to say the least. One afternoon, while he and Judy were out on patrol, Judy noticed that Nick didn't seem to be in the zone at all.

"Hey, are you doing, OK?" she asked, as they drove down the street.

"I'm fine," Nick replied, glumly.

"You don't seem fine. In fact, when we pulled that dog over for speeding, you barely said a word. Is something on your mind?"

Nick sighed. He knew that if he didn't explain, Judy would just keep pestering him about it. She was compassionate like that.

"It's just…I keep thinking about Brittney, and what I did," he said. "I actually killed her. How twisted is that?"

Judy nodded, sharing her opinion. "I know how you must feel, Nick. Killing anybody is pretty brutal, but you have to remember the reason why you did it. You did it to save me. If you hadn't been there, then I wouldn't be here today."

"That still doesn't make me feel any better," Nick sighed. "I'm a killer. Worst of all, I'm what the world expects me to be. A predator."

Judy pulled over to the curve, and parked the car. She looked at Nick, who didn't bother to make eye contact with her.

Judy knew that it would take some doing to convince Nick. And maybe words wouldn't be enough to do the job, but they would take it slow.

"Nick, you are not a predator. You are an officer of the law. Do you remember the oath you took when you first became a cop?"

"To serve and to protect," Nick replied.

"Exactly. And do you know what that means?"

Nick didn't answer.

"It means that you promise to help any animal in Zootopia when they are in distress, especially your fellow officer."

"I understand that, Judy, but Brittney was my ex-girlfriend!" Nick cried.

"And she was a serial killer," Judy stated firmly. "She was a dangerous killer who took the lives of many innocent animals. I understand that it hurts you for doing what you did, but it was necessary. Believe me, if I could I would have brought her in by the book. She would then spend the rest of her life in prison where she belongs, but things just didn't turn out that way. She would have killed me had you not shown up. I owe my life to you, Nick Wilde. Like I said, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here. I'm forever indebted to you for that."

Finally, Nick lifted his head up to look Judy in the eye. She gave a calm, comforting smile, which felt soothing to him. Nick leaned forward, and kissed her on the lips.

"Thank you, Carrots. Where would I be without you?" he asked.

Judy laughed. "Probably selling pawpsicles on the side of the street," she said.

Nick laughed, and patted her on the back. "You're never going to let that go are you?"

"You know it!"

Suddenly, the radio transceiver went off. "We have a 345 down on West Third Street. Suspect has robbed a convenient store, and is escaping on foot."

Judy picked up the receiver, and pressed a button. "Dispatch, this is Officer Hopps. Officer Wilde, and I are in pursuit."

"Roger, Officer Hopps. Over and out."

Judy looked at Nick, and smiled. "Let's do this."

"You bet!" Nick said.

* * *

At the end of the day, Nick returned to his apartment feeling a lot better than he had in the past few weeks. He cracked open a beer, and kicked back on the coach, and began to watch some TV. After a long day of hard work, chasing down a pig who robbed a convenient store, pulling over several animals for speeding, and responding to a domestic disturbance call involving a pair of hyenas. Needless to say, he earned himself a little relaxation time. However, no more than ten minutes into the TV program he was watching, did a knock came at the door.

"I'm coming," Nick said, putting down his beer.

Nick went to the door, and opened it. His eyes bulged out of his skull when he saw who it was.

"Hello, son. Long time no see?"

There standing in the doorway was Mike Wilde: Nick's father. He had been estranged for Nick for quite some time. In fact, Nick hadn't seen him in over five years.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Mike asked.

Nick was still stunned by his father's reappearance that he couldn't move. He quickly snapped out of it, and stepped aside, allowing his father to enter his apartment.

"Nice place you got here," Mike said, observing Nick's apartment. "Better than my joint anyway."

Mike walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and grabbed a beer.

"You don't mind if I take one of these do you?" he asked. "Of course you don't."

Mike wandered over into the living room, taking a seat on the coach.

"So I hear you're Mr. Bigshot now," he said. He took a newspaper out of his coat pocket, and flipped it open to the front page, which had a picture of him and Judy taken shortly after Brittney's death.

"An officer of the law. Who would have thought?" Mike said. "Not to mention you are partner's with that little rabbit. I would have never pictured you with the likes of her. If I'm not mistaken, didn't you help her with the missing mammals case too?"

"Yes, I did," Nick said, firmly. Frankly, he didn't like his father intruding on him like this.

"Well, I guess you're some sort of hero now. Probably think you're better than everyone else," Mike said, mockingly.

"No, dad. I don't. Is there something you want? Why did you come here?" Nick asked, irritated.

"No. I just stopped by to say hi to you. Can't a father come by and see his son?" Mike asked.

"You haven't seen either mom or me in five years," Nick said, bluntly. "You abandoned us."

Mike stood up, and walked over towards his son. He noticed a picture of Nick and Judy together. In it, they had their arms wrapped around each other, smiling contently.

Mike laughed when he saw this. "I thought you two had something going on," he said, picking up the picture.

"Who would have thought that my son would be dating a rabbit? Just when I thought you couldn't sink any lower. First you become a cop, something I hate, then you date a puny little bunny rabbit. How pathetic."

Nick had been through his father's demeaning talks before more times than he could count, but this time he wasn't going to sit back and listen to him berate him.

"Yes, she's my girlfriend, and we're very happy together," Nick said.

Mike finished off his beer, and grabbed another one from the fridge.

"You're just like you're mother; stubborn as all hell. Well, I guess I was right about you all along."

Mike took a big swig of his beer, and walked towards the door. "Well, son, it's been great catching up. We'll have to do it more often. You take care now, and thanks for the beers."

Mike closed the door behind him, leaving Nick flabbergasted. Just when things were finally starting to get better, another obstacle enters his life. Was there no end?

* * *

 **A/N: I apologize for the late update. I've been busy with school. It's my senior year of college. Hopefully, I can get back to regular updating. And as you can see, Mike Wilde will indeed be another obstacle in Nick and Judy's relationship. You'll learn more about him in the next chapter. As you can probably tell, he and Nick have a very dysfunctional relationship. He is also not the ideal father if you know what I mean.**


	21. A Glimpse into the Past

Chapter 21:

A Glimpse into the Past

* * *

As soon as Mike left, Nick drove over to Judy's apartment. When Judy opened the door, she was surprised to see Nick at this hour.

"Nick! It's so late," she said. "Is there something wrong?"

"Kind of. Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, uneasily.

"Sure. Come in," Judy said, stepping out of the way.

Nick took a seat beside Judy on the coach; he was unsure of where to start, so he just told her exactly what happened.

"My…my father came to visit me tonight," he said.

"Oh. How was that?" Judy asked. She had never heard Nick talk about his father before. To be honest, she always wondered why he never mentioned him.

"It was unexpected to say the least, but he was just as I remembered him: rude, arrogant, and selfish."

Judy's eyes widened. Now she understood why Nick had never talked to her about his father before. They obviously didn't get along.

"What happened exactly?" she asked, gently. "Why did he come to visit you?"

"I don't know. He came in, took a few of my beers, and basically berated me on my accomplishments; notably me being a police officer now. That's all the man has ever done in my life. Drink, and abuse me physically and verbally."

"Abuse?!" Judy asked, startled. She had no idea that Nick went through such a thing.

"Yeah, for most of my childhood, my mother abused me all the time. He did the same thing to my mother as well. I remember as a kid trying to go to sleep at night, and hearing him scream, and hit her from across the hall. I was so scared for her; I thought he was going to kill her! But I didn't dare intervene. If I did, he'd just take his rage out on me."

"Nick, that's awful. Why didn't your mother just get a divorce?" Judy asked.

"He wouldn't let her. He said that if she ever left him, he'd kill her," Nick said. "She believed it too. The way he hit her; he left bruises that lasted for months. Ditto for me."

"If I so much as stepped out of line, my father would give me hell. One time I was playing ball in the house, when I shouldn't have been, and I accidently knocked over a vase. Not even a minute after it broke, he walked into the room, and exploded with rage. He grabbed me by my tail, and threw me against the wall, and punched me several times in the face. It felt like a wrecking pall each time he did it too. When I went to school, and the teacher asked me why I had all these bruises, I always told her the same thing: I fell down the stairs."

"Your father sounds like a terrible animal," Judy stated. "He doesn't deserve to be a father."

"Yeah, well he was the one I got," Nick mused. "And when he wasn't abusing me physically, he was abusing me verbally. Nothing I could ever do would please him. I get an A on a test, he'd say it's just luck, even though I studied all night for it. I won the lead in the school play, he'd say they only cast me because out of all the terrible auditions, I was the only one that wasn't as bad. Everything I did, he'd always belittle me over. He always used to say that I wouldn't amount to crap."

"Do you think his drinking had something to do with it?" Judy asked.

"Probably. I seldom saw him without a beer in his paw. And God forbid that we run out of beer when he wanted one. He'd take out his anger on my mom and I. I remember one time when he told my mom he wanted another beer. Just as she was about to get it, he angrily told her that he wanted me to bring it to him. Needless to say, I was scared to death. I slowly walked towards where he was sitting watching TV in the living room. The beer was already open, and my paws were shaking with fear. One wrong move, and he'd beat me till I was black and blue. As I crept closer to him, he saw me trembling, and taunted me about it.

"What's wrong with you, Nick?" he'd say. "Don't you love your father?"

When I got as close as I wanted to get, I held it out to him, and said, "Here's your beer, dad."

He looked at me menacingly, and said, "Hand it to me. Put it in my damn paw, Nick."

When I took another step closer, I accidently trapped, and spilled the beer all over his shirt. Oh, did I feel his wrath. For the next ten minutes, he beat me repeatedly; calling me a klutz, and a pathetic excuse for a son. All the while, my mother tried to calm him down to no avail. That night, I couldn't sleep because I was in so much pain. Anyway, when I was fifteen he left us for another woman, and I hadn't seen him until tonight. I tell you, the second I saw his face, I was flooded with bad memories. He hadn't changed a damn bit either.

Judy knew that Nick had had it rough with many animals assuming that due to his predator status, he was not to be trusted. Never did she realize that his childhood was filled with violence and abuse. She wrapped her paws around him, bringing him closer.

"You didn't deserve that, Nick," she said. "Nor did your mother. Your father isn't a father at all. Any animal can have a child, that doesn't make him a father."

"Don't listen to what he tells you. You're amazing! And you have so much potential. All the good that you've brought to Zootopia, and all that you've done for me, your father doesn't realize what an amazing son he has. Quite frankly, that's his problem, not yours."

Nick smiled, bringing Judy in closer. "Thanks, Carrots. You always know what to say."

Judy kissed him on the lips. "I'm a police officer. Helping others is my job."

Nick smiled. "And you do it so well."

* * *

A/N: More fluff between these two. Mike will return very soon. He's the next obstacle in our beloved couple's way.


	22. A Bend in the Road

Chapter 22:

A Bend in the Road

* * *

Nick didn't see his father in the next three days, and for that he was thankful. Perhaps his old man had realized that he wasn't going to get anywhere with him, and decided to leave it be. Nevertheless, Nick couldn't shake the feeling that he would pop up again sometime soon. There had to be some reason why he sprang up into Nick's life all of sudden. Maybe he wanted money? Nick had earned quite a reputation for all that he had done for the ZPD. His father might be under the impression that Nick made a lot of money because of it, which was not the case. He got paid the same as the other officers on the force. If it wasn't the money, what was it? Granted, he was drunk when he showed up at Nick's apartment, and if history tells us anything it's that animals do stupid things when they are drunk. There was no use dwelling on the matter. Tonight he and Judy were going to the movies, and Nick was greatly looking forward to it.

Nick arrived at Judy's apartment around 5:00. When she opened the door, Judy was wearing a pink blouse with jeans.

"Good evening, my lady, would you care to join me for a night at the movies?" Nick said, giving a bow.

Judy rolled her eyes, but smiled as well. "Why of course, sir. I would be honored to accompany you to the pictures this evening," Judy said, curtsying.

The two laughed, enjoying the amusement of each other. Nick led the way out to his car, and opened the door for Judy. "All set?" he asked.

Judy clicked her seatbelt. "Yep."

The two went to see the new Wes Raven film that had just come out. Ten minutes into the film, Nick and Judy were already hooked on what was happening. When a scary scene came on, Judy's eyes widened in fear, and her ears drooped backward. Nick noticed this, and put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. In the scene, the killer who was stalking and killing campers, slowly crept up behind one of animals who was trying to escape. The young girl, a rabbit, was hiding under the bed when the killer came into the room. She was panting heavily, praying that he wouldn't find her. Suddenly, the dramatic music stopped playing, and it seemed like the girl was safe, but the killer grabbed her by the legs and pulled her out from under the bed. The rabbit screamed in terror as the killer repeatedly stabbed her with a knife. Judy cuddled close to Nick; the scene was clearly bothering her.

"Do you want to leave?" Nick asked, concerned.

Judy shook her head, doing her best to act tough. "No. It's just getting good."

As the movie continued, a member of the audience started to talk loudly.

"Yeah, kill the bitch!" someone yelled. "Another rabbit gets what she deserves."

Judy turned around to see who said such a repulsive thing, but she couldn't determine who it was. Nick could see that she was offended by the statement so he spoke up.

"Just ignore it, Judy. People are idiots," he said.

The movie rolled on, and more campers were killed in a brutal fashion. With every kill, the person in the audience commented loudly on it. "Kill, kill, kill!" he shouted.

Members of the audience grew irritated with this animal. "Shut up," a zebra yelled out.

"Yeah, just watch the damn movie," a horse added.

"You shut up, bunch of prey animals. I'll rip your freaking heads off," the voice yelled.

When Nick heard the response, he instantly recognized the voice. Why hadn't he recognized it sooner? It was Nick's father, Mike. Don't draw attention to yourself, Nick said to himself. Someone will report him, and he'll get thrown out.

Mike continued to shout unnecessary comments about the film, some of which spoiled the movie for the audience. "Somebody get this guy out of here!" a monkey yelled.

"Nick, we really should do something about this guy," Judy said, jumping in. "We're cops after all, and this guy is causing a disturbance. It's our duty to put a stop to it."

Judy sat up, and started to walk down the aisle.

"No, Judy!" Nick called out. Knowing that there was no point in shouting at her (the audience was mad enough as it is) he followed her to the back of the theater where they found Mike Wilde sitting there sipping a bottle of beer.

"Sir, could you please keep it down? There are animals who are trying to watch the movie," Judy said, sternly.

"Well, well, well, look who it is," Mike said, smiling. "The bunny who saved Zootopia, and her predator boyfriend. Good to see you again, son."

Judy's eyes widened. "Son? This is your father."

Nick nodded. "Unfortunately. Dad, get out of here now!"

"Will you all please shut up!" another animal shouted. "We're trying to watch the movie!"

"Somebody get an usher!"

"Relax everybody! We're off-duty police officers! We'll handle this," Judy said, holding her paws up.

"Sir, either you be quiet or I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Judy said.

"Well, I paid for my ticket, bunny rabbit, so I'm going to stay, and watch my movie, and I'll act however I want," Mike snarled.

"Sir, if you don't behave right now, we will make you leave," Judy said.

Nick couldn't help but feel pride for Judy. Even when she was off-duty, she was always willing to stand her ground, and perform her role as officer of the law.

"How's a bunny going to make me leave?" Mike said. "You've got no jurisdiction here."

Suddenly, a rhino walked into the theater, followed by one of the ushers.  
"Sir, is there a problem?" the rhino asked.

Mike took a look at the rhino. The animal towered above him wearing a polo shirt, and khaki pants. Mike Wilde was known for starting fights, but even he wasn't going to take on an animal twice his size.

Mike downed the rest of his bottle of whiskey, and shook his head. "No, sir. I was just leaving. This movie blows anyway. See you around, son."

Mike walked out of the theater, finally allowing for some peace and quiet in the theater. However, Nick was in no mood to go back to enjoying the film. His father's untimely appearance had ruined the evening for him.

"Can we go, please?" Nick asked.

"Are you sure?" Judy asked. "Don't let him spoil the fun. We took care of it."

"I just really want to go," Nick said.

Judy could see that Mike had clearly gotten to him. The best thing was to just listen to what he wanted, and leave. "Ok. Just let me go to the bathroom first," she said.

"That's fine. I'll go bring the car around," Nick said.

After using the bathroom, Judy waited outside for Nick. She didn't wait long until someone approached her. It was Mike Wilde, drinking another bottle of whiskey.

"Thanks for ruining the show," he said. He was clearly drunk. "But what should I expect from a bunny. They are nuisances after all."

"Please leave me alone, sir," Judy said, trying not to show her anxiety. Truth be told, Mike Wilde gave her the creeps.

"I will admit though, you are pretty cute for a rabbit. I can see why my idiot son likes you." Mike walked closer to her, getting inches within her face. Judy's ears drooped backward, and her nose started to twitch. She felt very uncomfortable in Mike's presence. "Why settle for a lousy guy like Nick, when you can have the whole package?"

Judy stepped backward, nearly tripping over. Mike was really starting to frighten her.

"Please, Mr. Wilde, leave me alone!" she said, not hiding the fear in her voice.

"Typical bunny. Always cower when they think there's danger. Don't know what you're missing girl," Mike said, taking another gulp of whiskey. "See you around."

Mike left Judy on the sidewalk alone, and terrified. She thought that she had learned not to fear predators, especially foxes after being with Nick, but something was off about the guy. Judy could see why Nick didn't like him; he was very unpleasant. But he was just a drunk, not a psychopath like Brittney. Abusive as he may be, he wouldn't dare lay a finger on her. She was an officer of the law! But the way he looked at her when he said she was cute was chilling. He looked like he was ready to devour her in one gulp. The guy was very unnerving. If he was back to cause trouble like Nick suspected, she would be wise to keep an eye on him in case he did try anything.

When Nick pulled the car out front, she got inside, and tried to remain calm. "Are you alright?" Nick asked. Obviously she wasn't doing a very good job at looking at ease.

"Yes, I'm fine," Judy lied. She decided not to tell Nick about her unpleasant encounter with Mike. She didn't want to stress him out any more than he already was.

"Look, I'm sorry about my father," he began. "He's a really jerk."

"That's OK. He's nothing I can't handle," Judy said, smiling. A part of her meant that. As an officer of the law, she had to be ready to stand up to any kind of animal, prey or predator. Nevertheless, something about Mike Wilde was unnerving. She knew she shouldn't be using this stereotype, but Mike was everything that her parents feared about foxes growing up.

Nick dropped Judy off at her apartment, and gave her a kiss goodnight. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

Judy smiled. "I'm fine, Nick. Please don't worry about me."

"I'm not. I just want to make sure you're alright."

Judy smiled, walked up to Nick, and pulled him in for a deep kiss on the lips. "I'm fine, you dumb fox. Didn't you hear me the first time?"

* * *

 **A/N: I apologize for the late update. Things have been pretty hectic in my life. Hopefully I'll get back to updating regularly again. Yes, the tension between Judy and Mike has begun. The older fox will undoubtedly cause trouble for our happy couple. How will they overcome this obstacle? More fluff and suspense coming soon!**


	23. One Rainy Night

Chapter 23:

One Rainy Night

 **A/N: Long time no update! I guess I fell out of touch with this story. Hopefully I can get back into it full time if you all are still interested. Anyway, get ready for fluffiness overload with this chapter. The story's rating has also been changed to M as you will see why in this chapter.**

* * *

In the next few days, Nick and Judy didn't hear anything from Mike Wilde. Judy still had a lingering suspicion that he was still close by, watching their every move. Nick told her not to worry. He'd never let anything happen to her. On a Saturday afternoon, Nick and Judy sat on the couch of Nick's apartment watching TV. They were originally supposed to be going to Zootopia Central Park, but had to cancel their plans because of the sudden rainstorm. As their eyes stared at the television set, watching another episode of Breaking Badger, Nick felt himself start to nod off to sleep. Suddenly, a loud burst of thunder roared through the apartment, causing the electricity to go out. The sound of the thunder woke Nick up, throwing him into a darkened room.

"Well, so much for that," he said.

"Yeah, I guess so, but it's not too bad. We've been watching TV for hours anyway. It'll give our eyes a little break."

Nick smiled. "Yeah, my eyes do feel a little sore."

"So what should we do? There's no electricity, so we can't see good. Do you have any candles?" Judy asked.

Nick sat up, and walked into the kitchen. He pulled several candles out from one of the cabinets, and lit them. The small glow lit up the kitchen, allowing Judy to see exactly where he was. As Judy walked towards him, Nick watched her. She looked so pretty in the candlelight; almost surreal. The light from the candle shone across her grey fur, making it look warm, and inviting. In all the months that they had dated, Nick and Judy had not taken their relationship to the next level by becoming more intimate with each other. The more time they spent together, the more Nick wanted to take Judy in his arms, and make love to her, but he wouldn't do it if she wasn't ready. He knew this had to be a consensual thing. Judy stepped beside him, holding one of her paws over one of the candles.

"At least now we can see," she said.

"Yeah," Nick said, looking at Judy.

Judy noticed his staring. "What is it?"

"Nothing, just thinking about how beautiful you are."

Judy blushed; even in the dim candlelight Nick could see the redness of her cheeks.

"Thank you. You knows girls love it when boys say that to them."

"I know, but it's true. You're one good looking bunny, Carrots."

Judy smiled, walking closer to him. She placed her paws around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. As the rain poured down outside, Nick and Judy continued to kiss passionately in the candlelight. The fervor from it was so intoxicating, neither of them wanting to let go just yet. Their blood began to rush, feeling like a thousand trains speeding down the track at once. The feelings were too much to ignore. Carefully, Nick reached out his paw, and began to unbutton the buttons on Judy's blouse. Before he proceeded any further, he looked into her eyes to make sure it was all right with her. Her violet eyes stared hungrily back at him, waiting for him to make the next move.

"Can I touch you?" She heard him ask in a voice just above a whisper. Judy slipped off her blouse, letting it fall to the floor. She took one of Nick's paws, placing it on one of her breasts.

"Of course you can," she said.

The couple took to the bedroom, fallng down onto the bed, while embracing each other tightly. Nick slipped off his shirt, and pants, and Judy removed her purple shorts. For the first time, they were together, fully exposed, mammell to mammal, predator and prey. Judy pulled Nick's head in closer, gazing into his eyes.

"I want you, Nick," she said.

Nick positioned his legs around Judy's, giving the first gentle, but firm penetration. Judy felt a wave of pleasure wash over her. There were no words to describe it. It was like being reborn, only this time you actually remembered it happening. Judy felt Nick's breath hitch as he paused in his rhythem, and she kissed him deeply, feeling him cup her face as he returned it. The rain poured on, splashing heavily onto the windows outside. The soothing sound it made added to the romantic moment between Nick and Judy. After a while, Nick sat back against the bed board, sighing heavily. It was everything and more. Judy curled up next to him, resting her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating loud, hypotising her into a deep slumber. Judy closed her eyes, lying still on Nick's chest. The fox also fell asleep with his arms wrapped around his beloved, cradling her tightly. It had been done. Predator and prey had officially become one.

"I love you, Judy," Nick whispered in the dark.

Judy smiled. "I love you too, Nick. You're my whole world." She felt him sigh happily in response, and they spoke no more, resting comfortably against each other, falling into a blissful slumber.


	24. An Unwelcome Guest

Chapter 24

An Unwelcome Guest

* * *

When Nick awoke the next morning, he felt as if he had been reborn. Last night was the first time he had ever made love to Judy. Needless to say, it was everything, and more. He looked over to his right, and saw that Judy was still asleep. He decided to let her sleep in a little longer. It was Saturday after all, and they had the day off. Nick slipped on a pair of jeans, and a t-shirt, then went into the kitchen to make some breakfast. He put two pieces of bread into the toaster, and sat at the table. A few minutes later, the door to the bedroom opened, and Judy stepped out. She walked toward Nick, smiling.

"Good morning, handsome," she cooed.

"Good morning to you too, beautiful," Nick replied.

He opened his arms to greet her. Judy happily fell into his arms, letting him pull her against his chest.

"Last night was amazing," she said.

"The feeling is mutual," Nick agreed.

"So what do you want to do today?" Judy asked.

"I don't know. Maybe we can go pay Clawhauser a visit. It's been a while since we've been over to his house."

"Yeah, it has. I swear that guy has more Gazelle merchandise than any other animal I know. His house is literally filled with it!"

Nick laughed. "You can't take two steps without seeing something Gazelle related."

"But I understand, she is amazing!" Judy said.

"Have you ever heard of the band, the Mammals?" Nick asked.

"No I haven't. Are they good?

"Oh, they are one of the best rock bands of all time. I saw them in concert when I was ten. I'll lend you a couple of their CDS."

"I thought you said that CDs were old school?"

"Yeah, but before IPods, this was how everyone listened to music," Nick explained.

"Tell you what, I'll put one on now."

Nick walked over to the cabinet, and pulled out a CD. He placed it in his stereo, cranking the volume up loud.

The music blasted through the stereo, causing the whole apartment to shake.

"This is one of my favorite songs by them," Nick said. "It's called "Can't Stop My Heart."

As the music played on, Judy found herself moving to the groove. Nick watched as she twirled around, keeping up with the beat. Before too long, he found himself swinging his hips along to the music.

"Come on, Nick! Dance with me!" Judy said, signaling him to come over.

Nick rolled his eyes, but nonetheless agreed. He grabbed Judy's paws, and the two spun around together. The song changed, and a slow paced song began to play. Nick took one of Judy's paws in his hand, and placed his other paw on her waist. The two danced slowly to the music, looking into each other's eyes. Nick was so deep in a trance that he almost didn't see Judy closing the gap between them with a passionate kiss. He closed his eyes, allowing Judy to run her paws alongside his face. The kiss deepened, and Nick placed his own paws on Judy's body, running his fingers down her grey fur.

She was so soft, so delicate. The night before flashed before his eyes, the feeling of her touch, actually being inside of her for the first time, was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. He had made love to women before, but not like that. What he shared with Judy last night was special; something that was only done by couples who truly loved each other. Nick knew for a fact that he wouldn't want to do that with anyone else now. The music played on, making Nick and Judy oblivious to the sound of the door opening. As they continued to kiss, a voice came from behind them.

"Well, isn't this a touching moment," the voice snarled.

Nick spun around, and saw Mike standing behind him, sipping a beer.

Nick walked over to the stereo, and turned the music off. "What the hell are you doing here?" Nick demanded. "I didn't let you in!"

"The door was unlocked so I thought I'd come in. I didn't expect to see you and the bunny so intimate together."

"Well, get out! I don't want you here," Nick said, firmly.

Mike took another swig of his beer. "I'll leave when I want to."

He walked over to Judy, who by now had her ears drooping, looking terrified.

"You know, Nick, for a bunny, this gal sure is pretty," he said

"Judy, go wait in the other room," Nick said.

"But Nick.."

"I'll be there in a minute. Please, just go in the other room."

Judy obeyed. She walked into the bedroom, and closed the door, leaving Nick and his father alone.

"What do you want, dad? I already told you that I don't want anything to do with you."

"I got your message," Mike said. "But I don't care what you want, Nick. "You see I owe someone some money. A lot of money. $4,000 to be exact. I figure that someone with a profession like yourself is bound to have lots of it."

"I'm not giving you any money," Nick said. "Whatever mess you're in, you got there yourself."

"Come on, Nick, can't you help your old dad out?"

"No. Leave now!"

Mike sat down his beer, and walked towards Nick. "I need that money, Nick. One way or another you are going to give it to me. We can do this the easy way or we can do it the hard way. The choice is yours."

Mike looked at a picture of Judy sitting on the coffee table. "She sure is pretty. I would hate to see something bad happen to her."

Nick's eyes lit up with fury. "If you lay one finger on her…

"You'll do what?" Mike interrupted. "You're no match for me, boy. I don't care if you're a cop or not. You can't take me on."

"So I'm going to ask you again: I need $4,000, please."

"Go to hell," Nick hissed.

Mike laughed. He then punched Nick in the face, sending him flying backward. Before Nick could get up to defend himself, Mike pounced on him, throwing him back down to the ground.

"Like I said, you're no match for me, Nick. I'm going to give you three days to give me the money or else."

"Or else what?" Nick asked, angrily.

"Or else I'm going to break me off a piece of that rabbit girl of yours, before I slit her throat."

"You son of a…

Mike smacked Nick across the head with his beer bottle, causing it to shatter into a hundred tiny pieces, and knocking Nick out in the process.

"You think about what I said, boy," Mike said, before leaving the apartment.

Judy came rushing out the bedroom, brandishing her 9mm pistol. She heard the sound of glass breaking, so she knew that something was wrong. When she saw Nick lying unconscious on the floor with his forehead bleeding, she ran to his side.

"Oh my God! Nick, Nick! Please wake up! Wake up!"

Judy ran to the sink to retrieve a washcloth. She wet the cloth, and ran back to Nick, placing it on his forehead. Nick slowly came to, opening his eyes.

"Judy, stay in the room," he mumbled.

"He's gone now, Nick."

"I know. He'll be back though. He wants money, but I'm not going to give it to him."

"Of course you're not. Hang tight, I'm going to call Clawhauser, and issue an arrest warrant for your father. He's not getting away this time."

Judy took out her radio, and called dispatch. Nick stood up, and watched as she explained the situation to Clawhauser. Deep down he knew that it was pointless in calling him. His father was probably miles away by now. He was very crafty when it came to alluding the police. When Judy finished, she went over to Nick, who was sitting on the couch.

"I called Clawhauser, and they are going to send an officer over to ask us some questions," Judy said. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Nick lied. Truthfully, the young fox had never been more afraid in his life. His father had been a nightmare for him, and his mother when he was little, but back then he couldn't handle him, Now that he was an adult, he thought that would be different, but no. His father is just as strong, and brutal as he was when Nick was a child.

Nick looked into Judy's eyes, which were full of love, and concern. "I'll never be free of my past," he said.

* * *

 **A/N: Things are heating up! I hope you enjoyed this nice mix of romance and suspense.**


	25. The Choice

Chapter 25

The Choice

* * *

The police put out a warrant for Mike Wilde's arrest, searching everywhere in Zootopia for him. After the a few days, the search was called off, but Chief Bogo told Nick and Judy to inform them if they hear from Mike again. The next few weeks went by without any interruptions from Mike or anyone else from that matter. Nick and Judy worked diligently on the force, cracking down on lawbreakers left and right. One afternoon however, Judy suddenly felt sick to her stomach, and threw up several times in one day. She couldn't figure out what caused it, but it always happened in the morning for some reason, before she even ate anything. When the morning sickness continued for a week, Judy told her friend, Julia about it. Julia was comforting, but suggested a scary reason for her sickness. "You might be pregnant," she said. When she heard those words, Judy's ears stood up straight. Could it be possible? She and Nick had made love several times over the past few weeks, but she never considered that Nick could actually impregnate her. She was a rabbit, and he was a fox! Two different species can't possibly have babies. Judy tried to put the notion out of her head, but it continued to linger in her mind. It was a possibility, and would certainly explain the sickness. She couldn't be pregnant though! A fox can't possible get a rabbit pregnant. Eventually, to put her worries to rest once and for all. She went out and bought a pregnancy test, and used it one morning while Nick was still sleeping. When she saw two straight lines, Judy's heart skipped several beats. "Sweet cheese, and crackers," she muttered softly.

She walked out of the bathroom, and found that Nick was up and about. He smiled when he saw her. "Good morning, beautiful!" How are you today?"

"I'm fine. Nick there is something I need to talk to you about?"

"Ok. What is it?" Nick asked, removing his uniform from his closet.

"Nick…you know I love you, right?" Judy began.

"Of course, Judy. You know I love you too, right?"

"Yes, of course, but it's no secret that this relationship has had its fair share of hardships."

At that comment, Nick stopped what he was doing, and looked at Judy with concern.

"Yes…what are you trying to say?"

"We both know how so many animals don't approve of our relationship, because we're not the same species. I know we said that we don't care about how they feel about us being together, but something that I thought could never happened has happened."

Nick walked closer to Judy until they were face to face. "Judy, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Nick…I'm pregnant," Judy exclaimed.

Though the burden had been lifted, Judy still felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. She waited patiently for Nick to respond to her revelation.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"I took a pregnancy test this morning, and it was positive."

"How long have you been pregnant?"

"I don't know. A few weeks probably. Nick, I didn't think this could happen. I didn't think we could have kids together. How can a fox get a rabbit pregnant?"

"It's not unheard of, Judy. When I was growing up I knew a bear and badger that had several kids."

"And how were they?" Judy asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Were they…normal?"

"What do you mean by normal? Of course they were normal."

"They weren't deformed or weird looking?"

"From what I remember, there were a mix of both genes. They had both bear and badger physical traits, but they weren't deformed or anything like that. They were happy, healthy mammals."

"But how did other animals treat them? Were they bullied, laughed at, made fun of?"

Nick was about to respond, but remembered very well that these kids weren't well received among the community. In fact, they were bullied even more than he was.

"I thought so," Judy said, taking his silence for a yes.

"That doesn't matter, Judy. You said it yourself, we don't care how other animals think. We're in love, and that's all that matters. I thought we were past this!

"But we never talked about having kids!"

"Do you not want kids?" Nick cried.

"Nick that's not the point…

"Then what is, Judy! Why is this such a problem?"

"Because Nick…I don't know if I'm ready to be a mother."

Judy started to cry, burying her face in her paws.

"I'm still young. I don't think I can handle the responsibilities of being a parent! I don't think I'll be a good one."

"Judy, sit down," Nick coaxed.

Judy sat down on the bed, still crying heavily. Nick sat beside her, and wrapped his arm around her. "Judy, I know this is all shocking for you. Believe me, it is for me too. The thought of me being a father is overwhelming, but in a good way! Don't you see, Judy, this is the next chapter in our lives! The one where we start a family. I know it's scary, and there are a lot of uncertainties, but we'll get through it. We just got to take it one step at a time."

"Don't worry about being ready for kids. You'll be a great mother, I know it. Our child will be very fortunate to have you."

Judy looked up at Nick. Her ears were drooping, and her eyes were filled with tears. Nick gave a comforting smile in return. As she gazed into his eyes, Judy felt her worries fade. She laid her head on Nick's chest, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

"I love you, Judy," Nick whispered.

"I love you too, Nick," Judy replied.

The two sat there in silence for a while. They didn't bother going into work that day. Judy was way too stressed out to serve and protect. Instead, they laid in the bed, enjoying each other's company, and thinking about what the future held. At one point, Nick kissed Judy on the lips. He then bent down and kissed her on the stomach, showing his love for their unborn child. When Nick had fallen asleep, Judy got up, grabbed her cell phone, and stepped outside to make a phone call to Planned Parenthood.

"Hello, I'd like to make an appointment, please."

* * *

 **A/N: Suspense is at a boiling point! Will Judy go through with it? Will Nick find out before she does anything? I obviously don't know if they have something like Planned Parenthood in Zootopia, but for the sake of the story I added it. And they haven't seen the last of Mike Wilde either.**


	26. My Body, My Decision

Chapter 26

My Body, My Decision

* * *

Judy made an appointment with the Planned Parenthood clinic for next week. She didn't utter a word about it to Nick. She knew that eventually she would have to tell him. It was inevitable. Oh, how she dreaded the moment when she had to confess what she had done, but he had to understand that it was her body, and she alone could decide what to do with it. Judy hoped to have children someday, but she didn't think that now was the right time. She was still way too young, definitely not ready to be a mother. There were no ill feelings towards this baby at all, it was just a decision that would be for the greater good. After all, that was all that mattered, right? As long as it was for the greater? Nick would understand. He loved her. He trusted her to make her own decisions. In the meantime, until she had the procedure, she would continue to let him believe that they were going to have the baby. It killed her to lie, especially since he was an officer of the law, but it had to be done. She just hoped that Nick wouldn't go around telling everyone on the force about her pregnancy. It would only make matters worse when she had the abortion.

There was somebody who she planned to tell though. Somebody that she knew to confide in. Someone who would understand what she's going through. Someone who would support her decision. Judy picked up her phone, and called her mother, Bonnie.

"Hey Judy, what a pleasant surprise! How are you?" she greeted her.

"Ok. Mom, I need to talk to you about something."

'Of course, sweetie. Is everything alright?"

"Well…no…not really. I don't know how to put this, so I'll just tell it to you straight. Mom…I'm pregnant."

"Oh, Judy, that's wonderful news! Congratulations! You and Nick must be so happy!"

"Mom, I'm not keeping the baby," Judy quickly cut in.

There was a moment of silence on the other end. Judy could tell that her mother was at a loss for words.

"Judy, you can't possible mean what I think you mean," Bonnie whispered.

"Mom, please understand, I'm just not ready to be a mother yet. I've still got my whole life ahead of me."

"But Judy, this is a blessing. It doesn't matter how old you are. I was only five years older than you are now when I had my first litter."

"Mom, this isn't about you. It's about me. It's my life, and how I feel is different from how you feel. I thought you would understand."

"Judy, I understand, but don't you think that you're rushing this decision. Does Nick know?

"He knows I'm pregnant, but he doesn't know about what I'm planning to do. Please don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"Judy, I really think you're making a….

"Mom, please stop! You're only making it worse," Judy said, crying.

"Judy, listen…

"But Judy couldn't take anymore. She ended the call, realizing that it was pointless to have called her mother in the first place.

Tears flowed freely from Judy's eyes. Her decision was final, but the fact that it would disappoint so many animals that she loved, tore her apart.

On her desk was a photograph taken when she was a baby bunny. In it, her mother cradled her in her arms. Judy imagined herself doing the same with her baby, only it wouldn't look like just a rabbit. It would be a cross between a fox and rabbit. A beautiful baby in her eyes no doubt, but in the eyes of other animals, some would consider him or her a monstrosity.

Judy went to the bathroom, and began gently rubbing her stomach.

"I'm sorry little one, but it's my body, and I'm the one who has to make this decision. I hope you can forgive me."

* * *

 **A/N: I know this chapter is short, and I promise the next one will be longer, but I wanted to write something short and powerful. What are your thoughts? Do you agree with Judy's reasoning or is she making the wrong choice? Should Nick have a say in the matter? This is a touchy subject, so I'm treating it delicately.**


	27. Test of Faith

Chapter 27

Test of Faith

* * *

On their next day off, Judy went to grocery store to get a few supplies while Nick stayed at home watching TV. This past week was a busy one at the ZPD. There had been quite a few tips coming in about the whereabouts of Mike Wilde, but all of them turned out to be useless. Nick had no idea where his father had gone, and as much as he wished to not care about the matter, now that Judy was pregnant he was more worried than ever of him showing up. He vowed to protect her at all cost. There was no way he was going to let his father get anywhere near her. Nick knew firsthand that the damage he could cause was catastrophic.

The phone rang while there was a commercial on the TV. He quickly realized that it was Judy's phone ringing. She must have forgotten to take it with her to the store. He looked at the lit up screen on her cellphone, and was shocked when he saw the caller ID. It said: Zootopia Planned Parenthood clinic. For reasons unknown, he picked up the phone, and answered it.

"Hello," he said into the receiver.

"Hello, may I speak to Judy Hopps please?" the animal on the other end asked.

"May I ask who's calling," Nick replied.

"This is Teresa from Dr. Krone's office at the Zootopia Planned Parenthood clinic. We were just calling to remind Ms. Hopps about her appointment with Dr. Krone this Friday."

"Appointment? For what?" Nick inquired. He had no idea why Judy would have an appointment at the Planned Parenthood clinic.

"Her appointment to discuss her procedure," the animal on the other end answered.

Nick grew worried. There was no way this could be what he thought.

"If you don't mind me asking, what procedure?" Nick asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't discuss that over the phone."

"Please, I'm her boyfriend," he demanded.

She told Nick what she was going to discuss with Dr. Krone. The moment Nick heard what it was, he almost dropped the phone. Before he could respond, he hung up, unable to speak. His heart started to beat rapidly. How in the world could she do this? Behind his back nonetheless!

The door to the apartment opened, and Judy stepped inside holding several grocery bags.

"Hey there!" she greeted. "Could you help me with the groceries? I have some more in my car."

Nick stared at Judy; unable to believe that she could act like nothing extreme was happening in their lives.

"Judy, is there something you wish to tell me?" he asked quietly.

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I guess that the truth doesn't mean much to you, does it?" Nick spat.

"What are you talking about?" Judy asked.

"Planned Parenthood called while you were out," he said.

Judy's ears drooped. "What did you say?"

"You know damn well what I said. Why Judy? Why?

"Nick, this isn't your decision…" Judy began.

"What do you mean it's not my decision? It's my child, isn't' it?" Nick retorted.

"Yes, but I'm the one who's having the baby. I should be the one to decide."

"And I have no say in the matter?" Nick cried in disbelief.

Judy look him in the eyes. It was just too painful to bear. She knew that this would happen eventually, but why so soon? Why before she had the procedure.

"Nick, don't you understand, this isn't just for me, it's for you as well," Judy tried to explain.

"How can it be for me when the thought makes me sick to my stomach?" Nick cried.

"You're young, Nick! You've got your whole life ahead of you! This won't be our only baby!"

"How the hell do you know that?"

Judy couldn't answer that.

"For the love of Lionheart, Judy, if you didn't want to have kids, then why did you have sex with me?" Nick exclaimed. "Surely you knew the risk!"

"Nick, you're really being overdramatic," Judy tried to reason.

"Overdramatic! You're one to talk! You're the one planning to kill our child!"

"Nick, please just listen!" Judy screamed back.

"I am listening! I just don't like what I'm hearing!"

"Nick, I've accomplished so much during my first few years in Zootopia. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Judy, the fact that you even put it that way, only shows just how selfish you truly are!"

"Selfish! I dedicate my life to serviing and protecting the citizens of Zootopia!"

"Well, you're sure doing a good job at that, aren't you?" Nick sneered.

Judy had had enough. She stormed out the apartment. Nick followed close at her heels, calling after her.

"Judy! Judy! Get back here!

But Judy wouldn't listen. She continued to walk away from him, making her way towards central park.

When they reached the park, Nick ran up, and grabbed her by the arm. "Judy, we're not done talking here," he said.

"Leave me alone! Can't I get away from you in the fucking park?"

"Judy, I'm warning you, don't make me do something I'll regret," Nick warned.

Judy turned on her heels to face him. "And what pray tell would that be, Nick? Are you going to hit me? Are you going to show me what a big tough animal you are?"

"You're not worth the trouble it would take to hit you, Judy," Nick yelled. "You're not worth the effort it would take to eat you alive. You are a devious, empty, hollow shell of an animal! Why did you have sex with me if you didn't want this to happen? It makes no sense! I thought you wanted to start a family with me! How in the world can you live with yourself?"

A cunning laughter came from behind them. Nick and Judy turned around, and saw Mike Wilde walk up to them, holding a bottle of beer.

"Well, well, looks like there's trouble in paradise," he laughed.

Nick focused his attention on his father. As mad as he was at Judy, his anger towards his father far outweighed her.

"We have a warrant or your arrest," Nick spat. "Put your paws behind your back."

Mike took a swig of his beer, then threw it against a tree, causing it break into many pieces. "Well, come on then, cop, let's see you do your stuff."

Nick pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket, and slowly crept toward his father. Mike darted to the side, hitting Nick as hard as he could on the back, sending him downward. The handcuffs slipped out of Nick's paw, and landed in the grass.

"You're a cop, and you can't even take a dangerous suspect down. You should really find another career path, son."

By this time, Judy had drawn her gun, aiming it at Mike Wilde. "Mr. Wilde, get down on the ground, and put your paws behind your head."

Surprsingly, Mike complied. He did as Judy requested, putting his paws behind his head. Judy picked up the handcuffs, ready to put them on Mike. When she grabbed a hold of one of his paws, the fox suddenly elbowed her in the stomach. The impact was so hard it knocked Judy to the ground, causing her to drop her gun in the process. Still numb from the pain, Judy reached for her gun, only to have her paw stepped on by Mike.

"What do you think you're doing, bunny? Ladies like you shouldn't play with guns!" he cried, kicking her in the stomach.

Judy wreathed in pain. She clutched her stomach, trying to soothe it.

"No!" Nick cried. Before she knew it, Nick pounced on top of his father, and drew his own gun. He put the barrel to his father's head, his finger just inches from the trigger. "What do you say we finish this, dad? Once and for all."

"You sure picked a hell of a time to grow a pair," Mike laughed. "But better late than never I suppose. Go on. Do it!

As much as Nick wanted to pull the trigger, he couldn't kill his own father in cold blood. He may be a vile, despicable mammal, but he was still his father.

"No," he muttered.

Mike laughed. "I knew you didn't have it in you. You'd never hurt me!

"Yeah, but I would," said a voice from behind them.

A jolt of pain shot through Mike Wilde's body. He suddenly couldn't feel any part of his body as he was quickly paralyzed. Nick looked up, and saw Richard standing there with a tazer.

"I was taking a walk when I saw you guys. I thought you could use some assistance," Richard explained as he began cuffing Mike.

"Glad you came along when you did," Nick said, holstering his gun. He then remembered Judy.

"Judy! Are you alright?" he said, running to her side.

By now, the pain had subsided, but Judy was still numb. "I'm fine," she replied.

Nick looked at her stomach. He was concerned for the baby as well.

"We need to get you to a doctor," Nick said, helping her to her feet.

"Nick, I'm fine really…

"I'm not talking about you!" Nick retorted. "Don't argue, let's go!"

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The suspense is rising with each chapter. Will the baby be OK? Will Judy change her mind? Stay tuned!**


	28. The Next Step

Chapter 28:

The Next Step

* * *

Richard called the paramedics, and the police, both of which arrived in no time at all. Mike was taken into custody, and brought to the station, while Nick and Judy were rushed to the hospital, and taken in to be examined. Besides a few scrapes and bruises, Nick wasn't too damaged, but he could have cared less about how he was. His primary concern was Judy, and the baby of course. As soon as the doctor gave him permission, Nick ran to Judy's room in the hospital. When he entered her room, he saw her lying in a hospital gown, and hooked up to an IV. At the moment, she was sleeping, oblivious to Nick's presence. The doctor walked in behind Nick, laying a paw on Nick's shoulder.

"You must be Mr. Wilde," the badger said.

Nick nodded. "Yes, that's me. How's Judy? How's the baby?

"They're both fine. She took quite a beating, but the baby is unharmed. However, just for precaution, I'd like to keep her overnight just to be sure.

"Of course!" Nick agreed. "Is it alright if I stay with her for a while?"

"Sure, but try to make it brief. I'd like her to get some rest."

Nick pulled up a chair, and sat beside Judy. He gently took one of her paws in his own, stroking it.

"Judy, can you hear me?" he whispered.

Judy's eyes opened. She turned her head towards Nick.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey yourself," Nick said, smiling.

"How long have we been here?" she asked.

"A couple hours. The doctor said that he would like to keep you overnight just to make sure you and the baby are alright."

Judy placed both paws on her belly, gently running her fingers across. She remembered the way Nick acted when he discovered her plans to have the baby aborted. The look in his eyes was unbearable; he was full of disgust and despair. Would killing this child really destroy him? It wasn't that Judy never wanted to have children, she just didn't think that now was the best time. Why couldn't Nick understand that? Still, she was beginning to feel something inside her. She was feeling some connection to the child, even if it hadn't born yet. Judy had no idea what he or she looked like, but didn't care. She was beginning to think of this child as an extension of herself. If she severed all ties to this child, that extension would be gone. Her career would continue to prosper, but she'd lose some things in return. Nick could leave her; a fact that she didn't want to believe, but understood that it was a possibility. Her relationship with Nick meant everything to her, she couldn't loose that.

"Nick, do you really love this child?"

Nick's eyes widened in surprise. "Of course, Judy, this child is the result of our love! I love him or her no matter what!"

Judy started to cry. "I was so selfish. I should have never planned such a major decision without your input. This child is just as much yours as it is mine. I saw the way you reacted when I told you the news. There was a sparkle in your eyes, a sparkle that screamed happiness. I could tell you already had a bond with our child."

Judy sat up, and placed her paws on her stomach. "I feel that bond too, Nick. I didn't before, but I do now. I feel this connection; this special relationship. I now understand what it feels like to be a mother. I have this overwhelming need to protect my child from harm. When your father struck me, the first thing I thought of was the baby, even though at the time I was planning on getting rid of it. My first reaction was concern for the welfare of our child. Nick, I don't know what the hell I was thinking."

By now the tears were pouring down Judy's cheeks. "What kind of mother am I? What kind of mother wants to kill her own child before he or she is even born? I'm a monster. You must hate me."

Nick grasped Judy's chin in his paws, making him face her. "Judy, I could never hate you. You changed my life. You're the reason why I'm the fox I am today. I love you, Judy. I understand the uncertainty you have. It's a big step, but I know that we can do it. A child couldn't ask for a better mother than you, Judy. There's not a single animal in Zootopia that has more heart than you do. I know you're scared, Judy, but you're going to be fine. We're going to give this child the best home possible. You once said that you wanted to make the world a better place. Well, this is another way you're doing it; by bringing our child into the world."

At this point, Judy's eyes were so full of tears that she couldn't speak. She kissed Nick on the mouth with as much passion as she could muster, basking in the warm taste of his lips. Nick picked Judy off the hospital bed, allowing her to sit on his lap. The doctor came in a few minutes later to tell Nick that he would have to leave so that Judy could rest, but one look at them upon entering the room told him that he'd be a fool to break up such a heart wrenching moment. Rest was important, but not as important as being with the one she loved.

* * *

 **A/N: Thoughts? I think I went a little crazy on the fluffiness here, but maybe you guys like that? Anyway, she's keeping the baby. Our duo will be parents here before you know it!**


	29. Names

Chapter 29:

Names

* * *

It had been ten days since Judy left the hospital. Since rabbits are in labor for 31 days, she and Nick thought it would be best if she stayed at home on an early maternity leave, until the baby was born. It felt strange going back to work without Judy. Nick felt like a part of him was missing. He was excited for the arrival of the baby, but he also couldn't wait to have Judy back in action with him. One evening, after a long day at work, Nick went over to Judy's apartment to visit her. Upon seeing Nick, she smiled.

"How was work?"

Nick shrugged. "Same old, same old. It's not the same without you."

"I bet. I can't wait to go back," Judy said, rubbing her bulging stomach.

Nick took a seat on the bed beside her, feeling her belly with one of his paws. "We'll see you soon, little one," he said.

"Have you thought of a name?" Judy asked.

"No I haven't."

"Well, we should probably start brainstorming some ideas. He or she will be here any day now," Judy pointed out.

"Ok. How about we name him Finnick? You know, after my friend," Nick suggested.

Judy rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? I love Finnick, but I don't think we should name our baby after him. Besides, what if it's a girl?

"That's true. What about Lilly? That's a cute name."

"You're right, it is. I like that one. What about Max or Carol?"

"Those are nice too. Oh, here's a good one: if it's a boy, what if we name him Jack, and if it's a girl, we name her Jacqueline?

Judy smiled. "Oh, that's so sweet. I like that a lot."

Nick pulled her close to him, being careful not to crush her large stomach. "I do too."

Suddenly, Judy felt a little tap against her belly. "The baby kicked!" she said. "Here, feel!"

She grabbed Nick's paw, placing it on her stomach. Nick's heart melted as he felt the little patter of paws beating back. "That's amazing," he said, tears in his eyes.

"Yeah, it is," Judy agreed. "I wonder what other animals we say when he or she arrives."

"Hey, don't worry about it. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. He or she is our child, and we love him or her unconditionally.

Nick was curious to see how their baby would look. He had seen a handful of mixed species babies before, but never a rabbit/fox mixed baby. This would be new, but very exciting.

"Hey, Nick, could you do me a favor?"

"Of course, Judy, what do you need?"

"Could you massage my feet, please? They are so swollen."

"Sure thing, Judy."

Judy lay back on the bed, stretching her feet out before Nick. He gently grasped one foot in his paw, massaging it gently.

"How does that feel?" he asked.

"So good, please don't stop."

When he was finished with one foot, he moved onto the other. The calm, soothing nature of the massage caused Judy to drift off to sleep. At that point, Nick decided that he had better let her rest. Before leaving, he took one last look at the girl he loved.

You're going to be a great mother, he thought to himself. I just hope I can be a great father as well.

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter, the baby's arrival! I apologize for the late update. When I last updated it, I didn't get any reviews right away, so I thought people might have lost interest in this story, but now I see that that isn't the case at all. You do still want me to continue, right? I've got a bunch of Nick and Judy fluffiness in store if you do. In addition, another surprise around the corner.**


	30. The Baby

Chapter 30:

The Baby

* * *

At 5:00 one morning, the telephone rang in Nick's apartment. He fumbled out of bed, still groggy, and somewhat angry at whoever was calling him this early in the morning. He walked into the kitchen, grabbed the phone of the counter, and answered it.

"Hello," he mumbled into the receiver.

"Nick! It's happening. I'm going into labor," Judy said in panted breaths.

That statement was all Nick needed to wake up.

"Really? Ok, just stay calm, I'm on my way over, right now."

"Ok. Please hurry," Judy panted.

Nick drove as fast as he could to Judy's apartment. Ordinarily, if he would have seen an animal going this speed he would have given them a ticket, but this was an exception. He ran upstairs to Judy's apartment, flinging open the door to find her sitting on the couch, panting heavily.

"Judy, I'm here, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine. The contractions just started a little while ago."

"Ok. We're going to get you to the hospital, alright? Take my paw, I'll lead you to the car."

"Thank you, Nick," Judy said, trying to smile.

The contractions continued as they drove to the hospital. With every passing minute, Nick grew more and more anxious to arrive.

Upon arrival, the nurses checked Judy in, taking her straight to the operating room. At this time, Nick stayed by her side, whispering comforting thoughts.

"It's going to be OK, Judy," he reassured.

Judy winced in pain. It was another contraction. "Pretty soon, we'll be parents," she said.

"Yeah. It's going to be great."

Judy was taken into the operating room, while the doctor instructed Nick to wait out in the hallway. In all honesty, he wanted to be by Judy's side when she had the baby, but he understood that they had protocal to follow. As he sat out in the hallway on one of the benches, Nick's heart was beating like a drum. A zebra that was sitting beside him, noticed his anxiety.

"Is this your first child?" he asked.

Nick gave an anxious smile. "Yes."

"Congratulations. It's exciting I know. I have two of my own at home."

"I can't believe it's actually happening," Nick said.

"Wait until you see him or her. Your heart is going to melt. In a good way, of course."

Nick knew that was the zebra said was true. The moment he laid eyes on his child, he would fall madly in love. The hours rolled by, and the nurse periodically came out to let Nick know how Judy was doing. She was progressing well, the nurse told him. It shouldn't be too much longer. An hour later, the doctor, a bear, came out again to see Nick.

"Mr. Wilde, would you like to meet your son?" he asked.

Nick's eyes widened. "My…son?" he stammered.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, sir. You have a healthy baby boy. He and Judy are doing just fine."

The bear led Nick into the room, where he saw Judy lying in the hospital bed, cradling a bundle in her arms. She smiled warmly at Nick.

"Hi, Nick, would you like to hold our son?" she said.

Nick walked over to the bed, his eyed filled with tears. In the blue blanket wrapped bundle was a little baby. He was a rabbit with orange fur, and His eyes were green like his. Nick gently picked up the bundle, cradling his son in his arms. Just looking at him, caused a wave of tears to gush from his eyes.

"Hi, little guy," he said. "I'm your daddy."

The baby wiggled his nose in the air, smiling life for the first time.

"He's beautiful," Nick exclaimed.

"Yes. He is beautiful," Judy agreed.

"So what should we name him?" Nick asked

"Well, I really do like the name, Jack," Judy said.

"I do too. Jack it is then," Nick said.

"Perfect," Judy said.

Nick placed Jack back into Judy's arms, allowing him to drink milk from her breasts. The doctor and nurses left the couple alone, while they enjoyed their first moments as a family together. Judy, very tired from labor, soon fell asleep with Jack in her arms. Nick nestled himself in the bed beside her, eventually falling asleep too; all with a smile on his face.

* * *

 **A/N: And Jack is born!**


	31. The Family Life

Chapter 31:

The Family Life

* * *

When Nick and Judy arrived home from the hospital a few days later, they were swarmed with the presence of family and friends, eager to meet little Jack. Judy's parents had ridden the train up to Zootopia, wanting to be the first to see their grandson. They were in awe when they first laid eyes on Jack. Both had never seen a fox/bunny mixed baby, but it wasn't long before they fell in love with him.

"You did good, Judy," Stu said.

"We're so proud of you, sweetie," Bonnie added.

Judy smiled. "Thanks, you guys."

Judy wasn't the only one beaming with pride. The father of the child himself had never been prouder in all his life. It was better than joining the ZPD, catching Bellweather, or solving any of the many cases that he and Judy were assigned too. Nick looked at his newborn with all the pride he could muster. When he first held him in his paws, Nick felt a wave of passion overwhelm him. He gazed at the green eyes, staring hungrily back at him; causing tears to fall from his eyes.

Even though Nick had known for quite a while now that he was going to be a father, it didn't really hit him until Jack was born. The moment he saw his son lying on Judy's stomach, suckling her teat, he knew that his life would never be the same.

In the following weeks, Judy stayed home, tending to Jack. For the first week or so, Nick stayed home with her, wanting to spend as much time as he could with his son. Eventually, one of them had to return to work to keep the bills paid. It went without question that Nick would have to be the one to go.

Upon his return to work, he was greeted with a round of applause on the birth of Jack. The fox smiled with pride as he walked to his desk one morning, thanking everyone for their blessings, and gifts. As he settled back into the swing of things, a thought had occurred to him. He and Judy had had a child out of wedlock. This of course wasn't unheard of, because there were plenty of couples who had children before they were married, but it still didn't feel right. Nick believed that it was high time that he tie the knot with Judy, and officially begin their life together as husband and wife.

Later in the afternoon, a casefile landed on his desk. The case involved a diamond smuggling ring, somewhere in the heart of Zootopia. The suspect of interest was a tiger named Goldclaw, who was suspected of being involved in the smuggling. The file told him about how Goldclaw was a rich citizen of Zootopia, who had earned a living from selling cars. He was a tough business animal, but was respected among the community nonetheless. Nick had known several animals who had bought cars from him, all of which were well-made vehicles. He had a hard time imagining that someone like Goldclaw would be involved in something illegal such as diamond smuggling.

Well, as interesting as the cases was, it would have to wait until Judy came back to work. This is one case that Nick would prefer to work with her by his side. Besides, she probably would know just where to start as far as investigating Goldclaw went.

When he got home that day, he found Judy sitting on the couch, holding Jack in her paws.

"Why, hello, daddy! How was work," she greeted.

Nick smiled. "It's not the same without you."

"Well, now you know how I felt when you quit the force," Judy replied.

Nick took a seat on the couch beside her, giving her and Jack a kiss on the head.

"How's he doing?" Nick asked.

"He's doing good. He just woke up from a nap a while ago, now he's having his dinner."

Nick watched as Jack suckled from Judy's breast; his eyes were closed, but his little paws were pressed against Judy's chest as he drank her milk. Nick looked up at Judy, who was smiling down at Jack. He had to admit, she had that motherly glow about her. There was no questioning it; they needed to get married soon. It was time to make their family official. But he didn't want to tell Judy, just yet. He wanted it to be traditional. You know, with the whole marriage proposal with the ring, kind of deal? As he sat with his son and the mother of his child, he told Judy about the new case involving Goldclaw. Just hearing about the case made Judy want to get back into action.

"As much I love Jack, I have to say that I miss work. This case sounds intriguing. I think I know the best way to find out if Goldclaw is involved or not."

"Well, you should tell, Chief Bogo. Apparently, he's been trying to come up with a reconnaissance team to catch him in the act. He wants me to be a part of it, but I told him that I'd rather wait until you came back to work.

Judy laughed. "I bet he took that well."

"He wasn't the happiest camper, let's just say that," Nick said.

Judy kissed him on the cheek. "Well, you can be sure that I'll happily take a part in this investigation. After all, we have to keep Zootopia better place for Jack."

"You're right about that."

"Ok, sweetie. It's time for bed," Judy said, standing up.

Nick followed her into the nursery that they had set up, and watched as Judy tucked Jack in his crib.

"Goodnight, sweetie. I love you so much," she said, giving Jack a kiss on the head.

Nick did the same, smiling at his son. "I love you too, Jack. You're the cutest baby in all of Zootopia."

"He's too cute for his own good, alright," Judy agreed. "Let's let him get some sleep."

"Ok."

Nick and Judy went back into the living room, and sat back down on the couch. Judy wiggled closer to Nick, laying her head down on his chest.

"Parent's is a lot of work, but it's so rewarding," she said.

Nick kissed her on the head. "You got that right, Carrots."

* * *

 **A/N: Here you have a brief glimpse into the new family's life. A lot is in store for Nick and Judy. A wedding, Goldclaw, etc. Stay tuned. Let me know what you think! I love hearing your reviews. They inspire me to write more.**


	32. The Assignment

Chapter 32

The Assignment

* * *

Late one afternoon, Nick's mother came over to see her grandson for the first time. Upon seeing him, her eyes lit up with love.

"He's beautiful, Nick!" she said.

Nick sat next to Judy on the couch, watching Judy breastfeed Jack. When he was finished, Judy handed Jack to Ms. Wilde to hold.

Nick's mom gazed over her grandson, gently stroking his head. "You two are so blessed. I'm very happy for you."

Nick smiled. "Thanks, mom."

"You two will make wonderful parents."

Judy scooted closer to Nick, wrapping her arms around him. "I hope so. We want to give Jack the best life possible. We love him so much."

"I can tell."

* * *

The months rolled by, and while Judy got used to life as a stay at home mother, she was itching to get back on the force. When Jack was eight months old, she and Nick hired Nick's mom to look after Jack during the day while she and Nick were at work.

When Judy returned to the ZPD for the first time in months, she was warmly greeted by all her colleagues. She showed them pictures of Jack on her phone; earning a round of compliments from whoever saw them. She was even surprised when Chief Bogo told her what a cute baby he was.

It wasn't long until Chief Bogo called Nick and Judy into his office to give them the rundown on Goldclaw, an animal of interest for the police for quite a while.

"Good afternoon, Officer Wilde, Officer Hopps," he said as they walked into his office. "Have a seat."

Chief Bogo put on his glasses, and took a file out from one of the drawers on his desk. He handed it to Judy. His name is Thomas Goldclaw. He's a tiger who has been suspected of money laundering for quite some time. We don't have any concrete evidence against him, but we've got reason to believe that his business does not operate legally.

"What's his business?" Nick asked.

"He's a contractor. He has his own contracting company in Zootopia. However, we believe that this is just a front, and that he's really making money in a dirty way."

"What makes you think that?" Judy asked.

"Well, for starters, Mr. Goldclaw lives a very lavish lifestyle. He lives just outside of Zootopia in a mansion on the hill. He's known for making many elaborate purchases, including larges bits of land. He may have his own company, but it's suspicious that he could make that much money as a contractor. There have also been complaints from some of his clients about his company doing a poor job, after being paid a considerable amount."

"I see what you mean. So how should we proceed?" Judy asked.

I want you to sit down with him, and talk to him some more about his business. You'll be going undercover of course. If Goldclaw is going to divulge his dirty secrets he would do it to another wealthy citizen, not the ZPD.

Nick chuckled. "Chief, we're not wealthy either," Nick said.

Chief Bogo rolled his eyes. "That's why you'll be in disguise, Wilde. The department has taken the liberty of purchasing the necessary outfits to make you appear wealthy."

"What should we tell him about ourselves?" Judy asked. "He's bound to want to know where our "money" comes from.

"In your folder is all the information you need regarding your false identities. Study it, and be prepared to use it when you meet with Goldclaw.

Judy looked through the file, and saw the information that Bogo was talking about. She had to admit; the ZPD had really done their homework on this guy.

"How exactly do we get an appointment with this guy? From what you've told us, it's not like we can just walk up to his front door, and ask to see him," Nick said.

"Indeed, which is why you and Officer Hopps will be meeting him at the Sutherland Country Club tomorrow at 12:00. I've already discussed the arrangements with the club's owner, and he knows you're going to be there."

"Swell. Let's just hope he doesn't rat us out," Nick said.

"He's promised to let you inside, and escort you to the parlor, where the members will be meeting."

"This is cool! I've never been to a country club before!" Nick said, excitedly.

"Just remember that you're there to get information from Goldclaw, not engage in fun activities," Bogo reminded them.

"Well, thank you, Chief Bogo. This is perfect. Nick and I will talk with Goldclaw, and let you know if we learn anything," Judy assured.

"Very well. You are excused," Bogo said.

When Nick and Judy left Chief Bogo's office, they picked up their clothes from Clawhauser at the front desk. The two were surprised at how extravagant their outfits were.

"These must have cost a fortune!" Judy cried.

"You bet they did! Now take good care of them, otherwise we won't be able to return them," Clawhauser said.

"You can count on us, Clawhauser. Let's go, Nick."

* * *

Later that evening, Nick and Judy sat in bed together with Jack. They watched as he crawled across the bed, looking down when he got to the edge. Nick and Judy made sure not to let him out of their sight. As they played with their son, the thought of marriage crossed Nick's mind again. He had decided that it was time to pop the question to Judy, but when would be the right time to do it? More importantly, he still needed to buy a ring. With everything that was going on at the moment like taking care of Jack, dealing with Goldclaw, Judy certainly had a lot to concentrate on. He didn't doubt that she would accept his proposal, but was this the right time? Maybe he should wait until the whole Goldclaw business was over.

As Judy breastfed Jack for the last time today, she brought up the exact case he was thinking about.

"I think I have a way to get Goldclaw's secrets," Judy said.

"Oh, do tell," Nick said.

"We can act like we're considering building a summer home outside of Zootopia, and we're interested in his services. He might give us some details about his business, maybe even invite us over to his mansion."

"Oh, I see. You want to search his house," Nick said. "Yeah, we're going to need a warrant for that one, Carrots.

"Well, we do have probable cause, that should be enough. Plus, Bogo and the entire ZPD don't trust him. His house may hold a clue or two."

"Ok. Let's just get through tomorrow first. You can go ahead, and try your plan, but don't be disappointed if it doesn't work out. Goldclaw is a busy tiger, he might not have time to engage in another client."

"We'll see," Judy said, getting up and placing Jack in his bassinet. "Good night, sweetie. Mommy loves you," she said.

Nick walked over to the crib, and said goodnight as well. "Goodnight, Jack. Daddy loves you too."

Jack smiled, rolling over to his side in the crib, causing Nick and Judy to smile with pride.

"By the way, how are we going to introduce ourselves tomorrow? We obviously can't use our real names?" Nick asked.

"Someone didn't read all of the file," Judy teased.

"I did read it!" Nick argued.

"All of it?"

"Ok. Maybe I skimmed a good bit of it."

Judy rolled her eyes, before giving him a kiss on the lips.

"You're my dumb fox, alright," she said.

"And you're my sly bunny," Nick replied.

"You got that right, sweetheart."

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter we will meet Goldclaw. The suspect in Nick and Judy's new case.**


End file.
